Healing the Body Politic: Rediscovering Political Power

(Hardback)

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American politics and government are so moribund, according to Erwin Jaffe, that serious political dialogue is a stranger in a land celebrated for freedom of expression. "Healing the Body Politic" examines the sources of this condition, among them the loss of "connectedness" (society's orientation toward mobility and its relative disinterest in place, neighbourhood, and community), widespread misunderstanding of the distinction and relationship between power and violence, and a distorted image of political life and responsibility. This broad-based work examines these problems and proposes, both in theoretical and practical terms, a rethinking and rediscovery of political power and political life as the only viable solution. Drawing on a variety of fields, including traditional political theory, this work points the way to a restoration of American political life and our ability to cope once again with the problems of civil society. It should be of interest to scholars and students of political science, political theory, and American government.

Reviews

His thoughtful essay on the foundations of the body politic probes key questions of power and violence, especially as bequeathed to us by Thomas Hobbes and Hannah Arendt. General; advanced undergraduate through professional.-Choice
"His thoughtful essay on the foundations of the body politic probes key questions of power and violence, especially as bequeathed to us by Thomas Hobbes and Hannah Arendt. General; advanced undergraduate through professional."-Choice

Author Bio

ERWIN A. JAFFE, prior to his retirement in 1988, taught political science at Rutgers University, the University of New Hampshire, New England College, and California State University, Stanislaus. Currently, he lectures at the University of New Hampshire, Manchester.