New perspectives on power and political representation from ancient history to the present day: repertoires of representation

In this volume, nine articles focussing on political representation in various eras are collected. Key-element to the whole publication is the focus on communication and how this has been developed and reshaped within a political context and power relations. The focus is not so much on the forms of representation, but on the claim these representatives make while claiming to embody the voice of a certain group. This (renewed) focus is based on Michael Saward’s theoretical reflections in a 2006 article in Contemporary Political Theory. The volume, thus, does not set out to discuss elected representation, but the discursive practises of (1) constructions of self-representation and (2) verbal acts of representation claims.