What Is Politics?
Politics is about how societies are governed, and how people decide who should govern them. Governments impose laws and rules, and build things for the shared use of society such as roads, hospitals and docks. They also interact with other governments in international affairs and sometimes go to war. Political leaders, the group of people who decide who governs a country or region, come from political parties and they try to win votes by promoting policies they think will benefit most people.
But that view is just one of many and it’s important to understand that the word politics can mean different things to different people. Different understandings have profound implications for whose voices are heard, whose concerns matter and which actions are valued or considered legitimate and which are disparaged, trivialised or even criminalised.
The classic definition of politics is that it is the activity of those who have power, whether it’s a monarch, dictator, president or prime minister, who exercise that power in order to advance their own interests and promote their ideas. However, this is often taken to be a very narrow and restrictive view of politics and it overlooks the fact that there are many other ways in which people exercise power. There are also a number of less observable activities that can be deemed to be political, such as setting agendas – whether parliamentary agendas that determine who gets to speak and for how long or news agendas that determine what stories will be included in the evening broadcast.
Some people take a broader view of politics and argue that it is not just about power but rather about the way in which problems are framed and narrated. This view has gained ground in recent years and it is exemplified by the rise of so-called ‘post-ideological’ contestation around values, lifestyles and identity. It is also reflected in debates about the extent to which ‘fake news’ is a political phenomenon.
A more narrow view of politics is that it is about struggle over distribution. This view has been challenged by the emergence of theories such as agonism, which argue that conflict is positively valuable and should be encouraged in politics. This view is also exemplified by the growth of populist movements that have arisen around the world, such as Trumpism and Brexit.
All of these views have significant consequences for the study of politics. They impact on the way we analyse the world, how we define problems and how we solve them. It’s worth bearing these debates in mind when considering the complexities of contemporary politics and attempting to make sense of the seemingly chaotic events that unfold before us on a daily basis. The more we understand about the nature of politics, the better equipped we will be to assess its impact on our everyday lives. If we continue to misunderstand politics, we run the risk of missing the point altogether. The best approach is perhaps to try and be open to different approaches and perspectives – after all, we live in a very diverse world.
Politics is about how societies are governed, and how people decide who should govern them. Governments impose laws and rules, and build things for the shared use of society such as roads, hospitals and docks. They also interact with other governments in international affairs and sometimes go to war. Political leaders, the group of people who decide who governs a country or region, come from political parties and they try to win votes by promoting policies they think will benefit most people. But that view is just one of many and it’s important to understand that the word politics can mean different things to different people. Different understandings have profound implications for whose voices are heard, whose concerns matter and which actions are valued or considered legitimate and which are disparaged, trivialised or even criminalised. The classic definition of politics is that it is the activity of those who have power, whether it’s a monarch, dictator, president or prime minister, who exercise that power in order to advance their own interests and promote their ideas. However, this is often taken to be a very narrow and restrictive view of politics and it overlooks the fact that there are many other ways in which people exercise power. There are also a number of less observable activities that can be deemed to be political, such as setting agendas – whether parliamentary agendas that determine who gets to speak and for how long or news agendas that determine what stories will be included in the evening broadcast. Some people take a broader view of politics and argue that it is not just about power but rather about the way in which problems are framed and narrated. This view has gained ground in recent years and it is exemplified by the rise of so-called ‘post-ideological’ contestation around values, lifestyles and identity. It is also reflected in debates about the extent to which ‘fake news’ is a political phenomenon. A more narrow view of politics is that it is about struggle over distribution. This view has been challenged by the emergence of theories such as agonism, which argue that conflict is positively valuable and should be encouraged in politics. This view is also exemplified by the growth of populist movements that have arisen around the world, such as Trumpism and Brexit. All of these views have significant consequences for the study of politics. They impact on the way we analyse the world, how we define problems and how we solve them. It’s worth bearing these debates in mind when considering the complexities of contemporary politics and attempting to make sense of the seemingly chaotic events that unfold before us on a daily basis. The more we understand about the nature of politics, the better equipped we will be to assess its impact on our everyday lives. If we continue to misunderstand politics, we run the risk of missing the point altogether. The best approach is perhaps to try and be open to different approaches and perspectives – after all, we live in a very diverse world.