Political Language
Words That Succeed and Policies That Fail
- 1st Edition - October 28, 1977
- Author: Murray Edelman
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 2 3 0 6 6 2 - 4
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 6 9 8 0 - 1
Political Language: Words That Succeed and Policies That Fail deals with chronic inequalities of a smaller portion of the population getting more. The book discusses the… Read more

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Request a sales quotePolitical Language: Words That Succeed and Policies That Fail deals with chronic inequalities of a smaller portion of the population getting more. The book discusses the persistence of poverty and greater inequalities in a democratic society such as the United States. The text reviews the chronic problems and the various beliefs found in American society, and also notes the general acceptance of the large differences in the quality of life of the people, which includes political power and autonomy. The book then defines perception of the political spectator and explains the linguistic generation of assumptions (taking for granted), linguistic reconstruction of facts (cover-ups), and the linguistic segmentation of politics (distinct from ordinary world). The text then emphasizes the language of inquiry, of authority, of participation, and of resistance as leading to free inquiry and experimentation or political loyalty. The selection can prove beneficial for political students, economists, educators, sociologists, and members of ministerial affairs related to population and economics.
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Chronic Problems, Banal Language, and Contradictory Beliefs
The Acceptance of Inequality
Banality and Anxiety
Social Adjustment through Contradictory Beliefs
Symbolic Evocation and Political Reality
Multiple Realities as Threats
The Focus on Official Language
Rhetorical Evocations
The Authority, Language, and Ideology of the Helping Professions
2 Categorization, Perception, and Politics
The Linguistic Structuring of Social Problems
The Evocation of Mythical Populations as Reference Groups
The Categorization of Enemies
The Linguistic Generation of Assumptions
The Linguistic Reconstruction of Facts
The Linguistic Segmentation of the Political World
Created Worlds
3 National Crises and "Public Opinion" as Political Symbols
The Political Uses of National Crises
The Labeling of Crises
Public Opinion
4 The Political Language of the Helping Professions
Therapy and Power
The Formal Component in Professional Language
Professional Imperialism
"Helping" as a Political Symbol
5 The Language of Bureaucracy
The Political Setting of Bureaucracy
Administrative Ineffectiveness: Clear and Problematic
The Constriction of Administrative Staff
Jurisdiction as a Déterrant to Effectiveness
The Multiple Veto and Organizational Conservatism
"Groupthink"
Selective Feedback
Bureaucratic Language as Incantation
Conclusion
6 The Language of Inquiry and the Language of Authority
Formal Language
Public Language
The Empirical Combination of Formal and Public Languages
Roles as Distinct from Human Beings
Language Forms as Symbols
7 The Language of Participation and the Language of Resistance
Public and Private Issues
Politicization as Co-optation
Influence versus Formality
The Uses of Disorder
The Structuring of Perception through Politicization
Intense Politicization
Clarification and Blurring of Adversary Relations
Antipolitics
8 Political Constraint through Symbolic Reassurance
The Generation of Belief and of Skepticism
The Constriction of Perception
The Political Viability of Unsuccessful Policies
The Stultification of the Individual
Index
- No. of pages: 188
- Language: English
- Edition: 1
- Published: October 28, 1977
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Paperback ISBN: 9780122306624
- eBook ISBN: 9781483269801
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