The Dramaturgy of Politics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2275436 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard M Merelman (University of California, Los Angeles, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1969 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 216-241 |
| Publication date | 1969-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0038-0253 • E-ISSN: 1533-8525 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1533-8525.1969.tb01286.x |
| OpenAlex | W2013398861 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 4 |
ANY SERIOUS student of politics who nowadays takes it upon himself to introduce new conceptual frameworks, new priorities, and new terms into the study of politics should tread carefully indeed. The proliferation of theory and speculation in political science defies our capacity to absorb, integrate, synthesize, and choose. Ideally, perhaps, ours should be a period more of consolidation and careful exploitation of what we already have than of mad dashes after yet more abstruse, more ambitious, and more doubtful formulae. It is therefore with apprehension that I approach the question of the relationships between the political process and notions of the drama.' This unease is, however, not unmitigated. I do not propose that the considerations I put forth be taken as a theory; indeed, they have few of the characteristics of a theory. I merely mean to suggest, first, that in addition to its other characteristics politics incorporates specific dramatic characteristics because politicians use dramatic devices; that at some points in the political process these devices are particularly salient; that, therefore, it is useful to know some principles of dramatic construction in order to appreciate politics fully; and finally, that these dramatic devices must become part of the traditional categories we use to analyze politics. I do not claim that the political process can be compared exactly to dramatic entertainment. Concepts which are similar by analogy are also different in important ways. Of course, the audience in the theater remains aware of its separation from the events on the stage.2 Rare indeed is the theatergoer who mistakes the play for real life. The use of a proscenium stage emphasizes the distance between audience and performance, and the introduction of theater-in-the-round reduces this gulf
Analogy · Apprehension · Drama · Economics · Epistemology · Law and economics · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Sociology · Speculation · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Philosophy · Political Science Research and Education · Social Media and Politics
Performing the Public
Analysing legislative performance
Dramaturgy and Political Mystification
The functions of presidential campaigning
Political apologia
Honest Brokers
Visuelle Wahlkampfkommunikation
Dramaturgy in the internet era
The dramaturgy of floods risk
Mythic Portraiture in the 1988 Iowa Presidential Caucus Bio-Ads
The Repersonalization of Presidential Campaigning in 2004
The cruelty of righteous people’
Breaking the fourth wall in political studies
The indignados social movement and the image of the occupied square
Securitization and desecuritization
Dummheit als Methode
Issues, Voter Choice, and Critical Elections
El storytelling de la campaña presidencial portuguesa de 2016. Rebelo de Sousa vs. Sampaio da Nóvoa
When politics becomes play
The Puzzle of Extra-Lethal Violence
The Voices of Democracy
Summitry as the social international
The dramaturgical society
Existential Sociology
The dramaturgy of listening
| Unique citing works | 25 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,47 |
| Citation span | 1973 - 2025 (53) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 19 |