Adrian Leftwich 
What is Politics? 
The Activity and its Study

What is politics? Is it a universal feature of all human societies,
past and present? Is it tied to specific institutional arenas? Or
is it found in all groups and organizations, large or small, formal
or informal?

This new textbook seeks to provide answers to these important
questions. Starting with what it means to ‘think
politically’, the book goes on to explore a wide range of
meanings attributed to the concept of politics from a variety of
perspectives and theoretical traditions. It offers succinct and
coherent overviews by some of the foremost scholars in the field,
and each invites the reader to see the activity of politics in a
distinctive way. Topics covered include politics as a form of rule,
feminist approaches to politics, Marxism and politics, the politics
of human behaviour, environmental politics, politics as collective
choice, and Islam and politics.

Written with the new student in mind, this concise introduction
to the study and activity of politics is essential reading for all
those coming to the discipline for the first time.

قائمة المحتويات

Preface: Adrian Leftwich vii

The Contributors xi

1 Thinking Politically: On the politics of Politics 1
Adrian Leftwich

2 Politics is About Governing 23
B. Guy Peters

3 Politics and the Exercise of Force 41
Peter P. Nicholson

4 Marxism and Politics 53
Alex Callinicos

5 Politics as a Form of Rule: Politics, Citizenship and Democracy 67
Bernard Crick

6 Politics as Collective Choice 86
Albert Weale

7 The Political Approach to Human Behavior: People, Resources and Power 100
Adrian Leftwich

8 Politics Beyond Boundaries: A Feminist Perspective 119
Judith Squires

9 Political Philosophy and Politics 135
Adam Shift

10 Is there an Islamic Conception of Politics? 147
Salwa Ismail

11 Politics as Distorted Global Politics 166
Anthony Mc Grew

12 Politics as if Nature Mattered 182
Neil Carter

Index 196

عن المؤلف

Adrian Leftwich is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of York.