Introduction To Political Science Lecture 5 PDF

Introduction to Political Science # Lecture 5 Society, identity, media and politics 2 October 2024 1 Last week Approaches in Political Economy Varieties of capitalism Globalisation Social reproduction / care / plan...

Introduction to Political Science # Lecture 5 Society, identity, media and politics 2 October 2024 1 Last week Approaches in Political Economy Varieties of capitalism Globalisation Social reproduction / care / planet 2 Overview of Disciplines in Political Science Political theory Comparative politics (International) Political economy International Relations Public Policy & Administration + sociology & communication science 3 Today Political consequences of changing social relations Relationship between media and politics 4 5 What is society? A group of people living in a certain territory Characterized by regular patterns of interaction And characterized by social divisions / cleavages https://www.wur.nl/nl/artikel/we-moeten-meer-luisteren-naar-de-maatschappij.htm 6 Perspectives on society Liberal: artifact formed by individuals to meet their individual needs, ideally based on harmony between competing interests and groups Conservative: organic, naturally grown Marxist: "The history of all existing https://www.writ societies is the history of the class ersvoice.net/202 4/03/michael-zw eig-overcoming- struggle"(Communist manifesto the-divisions-of- class-race-gende 1848) r/ 7 Important socio-economic developments Industrialisation Postindustrialism (service sector) Technological change (information society) Individualisation Migration Etc. 8  Social class Social relations Religion Race/ Ethnicity Gender Location: City/ 9 What are the political consequences of changing societies and divisions? Wooclap question 10 Diminishing or changing importance of social class? Industrialization: large working class, strong trade unions Post-industrialism: fragmentation of the working class A "contented majority" (Galbraith 1992) And a (growing?) minority that does not benefit from increased material prosperity/security (the "precariat") 11 Precariat Economically important, but: A ‘class for itself’? https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=89&furth erNews=yes&langId=en&newsId=10037 12 13 Trade union members hip in India https://onlinelibrary.w iley.com/doi/full/10.11 11/irj.12340 14 Diminishing or changing importance of religion? E.g. the Netherlands until the 1960s: strong pillarization, followed by rapid secularization But: religion still / again important political factor 15 https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/202 4/02/hindutva-is-at-war-with-secular-democracy -in-india/ 16 https://www.lemonde.fr/en/religions/article/2023/04/29/how-viktor-orb an-went-from-being-an-agnostic-liberal-to-a-defender-of-christian-valu es_6024781_63.html 17 Individualisation Strengthened due to post- industrialization and neoliberalism Is that a problem? No: Emphasis on equal individual rights Yes: justification of selfishness and greed And how universal is it really? 18 Putnam, Bowling alone (2000) Less political involvement due to declining participation in voluntary clubs and associations Cause: suburbanisation, two-income households and TV Note: creates image of a glorious past, ignores exclusion of women and people of color What about new forms of societal and political participation? 19 “Identity politics” Fights against the oppression of certain groups A process of political-cultural self-affirmation Fights stereotypes and values developed by dominant groups 20 Race and ethnicity Race: A social construct that groups people based on physical characteristics (e.g., skin color, hair type, and facial features) No biological basis, but shaped by cultural, historical and social contexts. Ethnicity: Shared cultural characteristics, including language, traditions, customs, and a sense of shared history or religion Long history of racist politics (colonialism, imperialism, anti-Semitism, apartheid) Long history of anti-racist politics inspired by postcolonialism and American civil rights movement 21 https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701 268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entiret y https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/23/politics/blac ves-matter-support-impact/index.html22 Migration & cultural diversity Debate on (the limits of) multiculturalism (see Heywood 183-187) 23 Migration & cultural diversity Debate on the (limits of) multiculturalism (see Heywood 183-187) Recently: emphasis on closing borders, personal responsibility and welfare chauvinism 24  https://www.striking-women.org/module/migration/history-migration 25 202 3 26 Ethnic and religious cleavages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkLFGWTKPY4&t=212s Showing how colonial rule and subsequent independence fed into ethnic and religious cleavages in India & Pakistan 27 Gender Biology (sex) is not destiny; Gender is a social construct "The man is defined as a human being and a woman as a woman – when she behaves like a human being, she is said to imitate the man.“ (Simone de Beauvoir) 28 https://stukroodvlees.nl/witte-mann en-zijn-gewoon-mannen-alle-andere n-zijn-anders/ 29 Gender Biology (sex) is not destiny; Gender is a social construct "The man is defined as a human being and a woman as a woman – when she behaves like a human being, she is said to imitate the man.“ Long history of political mobilisation 30 Mobilisation around women’s rights 31 bell hooks (1952-2021)  Intersectionality Oxford dictionary: “The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRci2V8PxW4 LGBTQIA+ Oppression of people who do not identify as heterosexual and cis-gender (= a person whose gender identity matches the sex assigned to them at birth) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VR RWuryb4k Decades of gay/LGBTQ-rights mobilization Now also included in/allied with intersectional feminist movement 34 Postmaterialism? “by shifting the focus of politics away from narrowly economic issues, postmaterialism has raised the profile of ‘quality of life’ issues such as women’s rights, gay liberation and environmental protection” (Heywood 2019: 467) But are these topics really post-material? 35 Can identity politics unite? 36 Culture wars? Context of narrower economic choices (neoliberalism) and growing inequality Conservative backlash against “permissive” identity politics Political polarization around identity issues Replacing left-right politics? Who benefits? 37 Questions? 38 39 Political culture Culture = way of life (norms, values and behaviour) Political culture = the 'pattern of orientations' towards political objects such as parties, government and the constitution, expressed in beliefs, symbols and values “Civic culture” (Almond & Verba 1963): Culture influences politics Certain political attitudes are better for democracy Marxist approach: Politics and capital influence culture 'False consciousness’ (recall Lukes’ "Third Face of Power," Lecture 1) Gramsci: bourgeois hegemony operates also through e.g. education, media, etc. 40 Politics and media Free press is often seen as an essential part of democracy But what is the relationship between media, politics and society? Pluralistic model Dominant ideology model The Values of Elites Market model 41  Liberal: Media as an ideological Pluralistis marketplace in which a wide range of viewpoints are discussed ch model Example? 42 Dutch public broadcasting https://www.vpro.nl/programmas/tegenlicht/lees/artikelen/2024/nieuwsverhale n/bezuinigen-op-de-democratie.html 43  Marxist: the media reproduce capitalist hegemony Chomsky, consent is manufacturer Dominant through: Ownership of media by large ideology corporations Dependence on advertisers model Threats of legal action Examples? 44 45 46 https://www.parool.nl/nederland/free-press-unlimited-dreiging-met-recht szaken-leidt-tot-zelfcensuur-onder-journalisten-betere-bescherming-nod ig~b135a025/ 47 Elite values model Assumes sufficient independence of journalists from owners/management But bias stems from disproportionate representation of certain groups among senior journalists and editors 48 Market model The media reflect the opinions and preferences of the general public rather than shape them Media gives people "what they want" Tyranny of ratings, advertisers and market share 49 Impact of traditional media on democracy Forum for debate (e.g. talk shows) Watchdog: public accountability Condition = independence from state and major players 50 Wooclap Is state-owned media good or bad? How free and independent are the media in your country of origin? 51 https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/17720302/ 52 Impact of traditional media on democracy Also: Personalization of leadership 53 Social media How do you think social media affects politics/democracy? 54 Social Media and Politics: Positive Access to political information, news "Blogosphere" -> SRV Creating petitions, using social media to organize protests Enabling Global Social Movements Alternative source of information in the absence of free media https://stukroodvlees.nl/ 55 Social Media and Politics: Negative Polarizing, spread hate Power of big technology corporations AI, "Post truth" and anti-intellectualism 56 Friday: Roundtable on media and politics Guests: Sezen Moeliker (NRC) Daan Stoop (Groene Amsterdammer) Alistair Keepe (Follow the Money) Topics: Relationship between media, politics and society Independence of Dutch media How to become a journalist And much more! 57 Exam Based on all literature allocated for weeks 1 through 6, as well as the lectures that took place during this period. Three open questions, two of which need to be answered Word limit of 250 words (Points will be deducted when the word length is exceeded.) Practice question on canvas soon 58