The symbolic representation of gender : a discursive approach

Bibliographic Information

The symbolic representation of gender : a discursive approach

Emanuela Lombardo, Petra Meier

Ashgate, c2014

  • : hbk

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Note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

What is symbolic representation? Since Hanna Pitkin's seminal The Concept of Representation, the symbolic has been the least studied dimension of political representation. Innovatively adopting a discursive approach, this book - the first full-length treatment of symbolic representation - focuses on gender issues to tackle important questions such as: What are women and men symbols of, and how is gender constructed in policy discourse? It studies what functions symbolic representation fulfils in the construction of gender, what social roles get legitimized in policy discourse, and how this affects power constellations, ultimately revealing much about the relation between symbolic, descriptive, and substantive representation. Emanuela Lombardo and Petra Meier draw on theories of symbolic representation and gender, as well as rich primary material about political debates on labour and care issues, partnership and reproductive rights, gender violence, and quotas. Using this original data, the authors show that reconsidering symbolic representation from a discursive perspective makes explicit issues of (in)equality embedded within particular constructions, as well as their consequences for political representation and gender equality. This important exploration raises relevant new questions regarding the representation of gender that form valuable contributions to the fields of political science, political theory, sociology, and gender studies.

Table of Contents

  • Contents: The symbolic representation of gender: an introduction
  • Theorising symbolic representation
  • A discursive approach to symbolic representation
  • Symbolic representation and the construction of identity
  • Symbolic representation and legitimacy
  • Symbolic representation and political control
  • The relation between descriptive and symbolic representation
  • The relation between substantive and symbolic representation
  • Power at work in the symbolic representation of gender
  • Conclusions
  • Bibliography
  • Index.

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

  • NCID
    BB16320318
  • ISBN
    • 9781409432364
  • LCCN
    2013050270
  • Country Code
    uk
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    Farnham
  • Pages/Volumes
    xii, 210 p.
  • Size
    24 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
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