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Full Description
Through vivid portrayals of political activists, Political Activists in America offers a fresh analysis of why people become involved in politics. Based on interviews with environmental, social justice, and pro-life activists, the book argues, contrary to both popular opinion and the main approaches of political science, that active involvement in politics can be deeply fulfilling to the individual. The identity construction approach is the core of the book's argument and shows how activists value political involvement for themselves.
The book argues against approaches that see politics as an inherently costly or unpleasant activity. In contrast, the identity construction approach sees political activism as enabling activists to become people whom they would otherwise have been unable to become. The construction of identity for all activists is both about morality and about what one wants for oneself, and hence it illustrates shortcomings in approaches that divide motivations into either the "self-interested" or the "altruistic."
Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments
Part I: Activism in Political Science
Portrait of an Activist
Two Scholarly Portraits of Activists
Politics as Displacement: The Psychological Needs Approach
Politics as Value Maximization: Instrumental-to-Self Approaches
Conclusion: Activism, Morality, and Politics
Part II: Involvement Stories
Introduction
Involvement Stories
Three Themes in Involvement Stories
Conclusion: Involvement Stories as Moral Tales
Part III: Politics, Purposes, and the Incentive Theory of Groups
The Troubled Concept of Purposive Incentives (Revisited)
Lobbyists' Moral Justifications and Purposive Incentives
Conclusion: Politics and Purposive Incentives
Part IV: Identity as the Basis for Activism
Introduction
Morality as Altruism: The Antirational-Choice Approach in Contemporary Social Science
Beyond Altruism: Suggestions from Activists
Beyond Self-Interest Versus Altruism: Identity Construction as the Moral Basis of Activism
Self-Interest, Altruism, and the Concept of a Moral Consideration
Contents
Methodology Appendix
Bibliography
Index
