230624 British Political Culture (S) (WiSe 2009/2010)

Why does Britain still have a monarchy and at the same time music groups like the Sex Pistols who already in 1977 sang ‘God save the Queen, her fascist regime’? Why can Scottish people easily distinguish between Scottishness and Britishness and why do English people find it often so difficult to differentiate between Englishness and Britishness? Why do many people support radical political initiatives but vote for moderate parties? Why do many more people claim to belong to the working class than have real working-class jobs? Has the Labour Party ever been a socialist party? What is a ‘wet’ Conservative? Why did a Labour Prime Minister become the closest ally of George Bush Jr.? Why did British workers go on strike comparatively often until recently? Why did some American political scientists claim that the British, for a long time, were an ‘over-politicised’ society? Is there one British political culture or are there several cultures?

Dealing with these and similar questions, this course is not about political institutions but about the ideas people in Britain have about politics and society. Political culture research works under the assumption that what makes a society politically viable and socially stable does not depend solely on the well-functioning of its institutions but also on what people think about themselves and their political system. Thus, we will analyse what traditions, customs, beliefs, values, ideologies, and convictions exist in Britain and in what way they influence the regulations and mechanisms of public life. Such ideas have never been universally shared but some, obviously, have been more powerful than others and some have lasted for a surprisingly long time. We will concentrate on contemporary political cultures but explore their historical dimensions as well.

Bibliography

A reader with key texts will be provided in the first session.