In what ways can comparative study help to improve our understanding of politics? Support your argument with reference to at least two examples. As the topic suggests whether everyone and everything is political in this case there is no right or wrong way to argue this point.
But I think the best way to approach this essay is to understand the meaning of Politics. What is politics? Politics is an emotive word and can be used in different context by different people. According to Jef Huysmans (2005) Politics is a contest of power and values in public.Politics is thus about conflict between different opinions on what the important issues are for a community and on how to deal with them. There is no unifying theory of politics and hence no set boundaries of what can and cannot be said, it is this ambiguity that makes it impossible to argue that politics is belong to government. This is so because politics is a word that can illustrate an example of how is everything and everyone is political.
Politics can be seen as a way in which individuals and interest groups compete to shape government's impact on the issues that are facing society.It is the concept behind the words that is more difficult to understand. Though politics is the primary method of communicating with government, this is not the only time politics are use but also valuable in the area of policy reform, political lobbyist and campaigners. The pursuit of interest is the purpose and initiation of political behaviour that could lead toward the completion of a goal.
According to Jay who represents the opinion that people have a fundamental right to be protected against persecution which must be given priority over other concerns.In this understanding, the private sphere is political, but not because it helps people to formulate or change their opinion which they subsequently express publicly. The important point is that the private sphere is political because in so far as politics is a contest of values it reproduces in everyday activities the values that underpin different political positions. It closes off certain political positions, possible in principle but not in practice, and makes others readily available. (DD203, Chapter 3, p. 1) The word politics itself is a dilemma for those finding themselves within the systems.
What do we know about politics has been an issue for many researchers and the policy makers. Society is becoming less and less involved in political activity and continues to show a declining interest in politics and community involvement. Political choices shape our everyday life in critical ways. However community opinions and involvement can help shape the results of many decisions that affect those who will and can benefit the most.Many of those in the community lose faith in the politics of everyday because they feel that what they have to say or do will not make a difference in their lives, but contrary to popular beliefs, the communities involvement, thoughts, actions make things happened for the world at large. I truly believe that if we do our part we can understand how important our involvement plays in making changes In other words, politics defines both the problems that matter for a society – are refugees a problem? – And the natures of the problems – are refugees threatening society or are they a gain to society?However, many private decisions and activities are also political through their – often implicit – relation to public contests.
Political participation involves activity by individuals formally intended to influence who governs or the decisions taken by those who do so. This can include voting, writing to representatives, joining pressure groups or political parties, campaigning in small groups and many other forms. Jef Huysmans (2005) explain further that Politics is an activity that defines which problems are important for a society and how these problems are understood within a society.But also Politics can be seen as the authoritative allocation of values, rights and duties for the society as a whole. Politics is not just a contest but also governmental activity in which values, rights and duties are allocated.
This concept emphasizes that politics is not just about struggle for power and between opinions but it is also the activity of a governmental machine. The development of post materialism has resulted in a cultural surplus and people having needs other than subsistence due to the fact that they are economically more affluent.Gaining cooperation from the other side requires strategy. Control tactics such as negotiations, persuasions, cohesion and sometimes force and treat which is inform of power But the expectation of reward and the actual probability of reward essentially dictate political action. Rewards are both individual and societal. I still do not understand why is still a confusing process with so many dissatisfying outcomes? Jef Huysmans (2005) I argued that politics can happen everywhere but not all the time.
In other words, every place can be, but does not necessarily have to be, a political site.This contested nature of politics is answer in respect to the question because the conceptual model of assumptions and beliefs with which a person tackles politics will influence the interpretation of politics that they attain. Therefore an individual who uses one model, and hence definition of politics, will come to a different conclusion about whether is everything and everyone is political to someone who utilises a different model. The pursuit of interest is the purpose and initiation of political behaviour.The moment an individual actively pursues an interest or works toward the completion of a goal, it is projected outside him.
For example, a person is shopping for a car. The situation is no longer individual because he cannot achieve his goal of obtaining a new car alone; another person or dealership must make the car available to him. Because the person selling the car also has a goal, there is interplay of interests, and the implications of politics. Negotiation over a car or anything of interest involves a distribution of attention from one side to another.
Just as a car has a seller and a buyer, the government has different political parties, and each issue has a group for and against it. Gaining cooperation from the other side requires strategy which indicates politics. In conclusion to this question "is everything and everyone ‘political’" whether politics is solely found within society or government. Government in this case being taken to mean the specialised leading roles and institutions of a society that are responsible for the decision making processes of that society as a whole.
