Democracy in Practice

This collection makes a compelling case for the importance of studying ceremony and ritual in deepening our understanding of modern democratic parliaments. It reveals through rich case studies that modes of behaviour, the negotiation of political and physical spaces and the creation of specific institutional cultures, underpin democracy in practice

'An imaginative and most valuable collection of high quality essays exploring the role of rituals and ceremonies in articulating the identity and shaping the popular perception of Parliament, and more generally of democracy and political life. I know no other that comes anywhere near it in its range and depth.' Bhikhu Parekh, University of Westminster, UK, and House of Lords 'This book sets an exciting new agenda for understanding the gendered nature of political institutions through taking performance, symbol, ritual and rhetoric seriously. The book is an interdisciplinary intervention that simultaneously pays attention to empirical detail and to comparative method. It is a compelling read.' Shireen Hassim, Professor of Politics, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

Faith Armitage, University of Manchester, UKBairavee Balasubramaniam, University of Warwick, UKSarah Childs, University of Bristol, UKEmma CreweUniversity of Hertfordshire, UKVictoria Hasson's, the Democratic Alliance, South AfricaJoni Lovenduski, Birkbeck College, University of London, UKNirmal Puwar, Goldsmiths, London University, UKCarole Spary, University of York, UKGeorgina Waylen, University of Manchester, UK