{"product_id":"democracy-theatre-and-performance-from-the-greeks-to-gandhi-hardback-9781009167994","title":"Democracy, Theatre and Performance; From the Greeks to Gandhi (Hardback) 9781009167994","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eDemocracy, Theatre and Performance\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eFrom the Greeks to Gandhi\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDavid Wiles makes the startling claim that, to be truly effective, democratic politicians are obliged to be hypocrites, or actors.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eDavid Wiles (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781009167994, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 27 June 2024\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e256 pages\u003cbr\u003e23.5 x 15.8 x 1.9 cm, 0.53 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e'The book offers a new multi-dimensional perspective of both democracy, as a political system involving direct communication between rulers and ruled, and drama, considering it as an important component of that communication. In this sense, the book can be a valuable reading for classicists, but also for students of classical reception, drama and even political sciences, as it enriches the study of Classical antiquity by analysing its reception through different moments in history, at the same time that it can be considered as a study of democracy in its theatrical dimension. Wiles' work contributes to shedding light on contemporary matters, and of doing so through reinterpreting and rethinking Antiquity and the ways in which it keeps shaping the present.' Marta C. Cuevas Caballero, Bryn Mawr Classical Review\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eDemocracy, argues David Wiles, is actually a form of theatre. In making his case, the author deftly investigates orators at the foundational moments of ancient and modern democracy, demonstrating how their performative skills were used to try to create a better world. People often complain about demagogues, or wish that politicians might be more sincere. But to do good, politicians (paradoxically) must be hypocrites - or actors. Moving from Athens to Indian independence via three great revolutions – in Puritan England, republican France and liberal America – the book opens up larger questions about the nature of democracy. When in the classical past Plato condemned rhetoric, the only alternative he could offer was authoritarianism. Wiles' bold historical study has profound implications for our present: calls for personal authenticity, he suggests, are not an effective way to counter the rise of populism.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e1. Introduction: democracy as performance\u003cbr\u003e 2. Rhetoric in Athenian democracy\u003cbr\u003e 3. Acting versus sincerity: Aeschines v. Demosthenes\u003cbr\u003e 4. Puritan democracy: the English Revolution\u003cbr\u003e  5. Oratory in the French revolutionary\u003cbr\u003e 6. American democracy: from the founders to feminism\u003cbr\u003e 7. Democracy as a universal good: Gandhi, Tagore and the new India\u003cbr\u003e 8. Theatrocracy: back to Athens.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Theatre studies [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Theatre studies\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Theatre%20studies%20%5BAN%5D%22\"\u003eAN\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52173714850072,"sku":"9781009167994","price":26.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9781009167994i.jpg?v=1781167833","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/democracy-theatre-and-performance-from-the-greeks-to-gandhi-hardback-9781009167994","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}