Interpreting the Labour Party: Approaches to Labour Politics and History (Critical Labour Movement Studies)

Interpreting the Labour Party consists of twelve essays on the principal thinkers and schools of thought concerned with the political and historical development of the Labour Party and Labour movement. The essays are written by contributors who have devoted many years to the study of the Labour Party, the trade union movement and the various ideologies associated with them. The book begins with an in-depth analysis of how to study the Labour Party, and goes on to examine key periods in the development of the ideologies to which the party has subscribed. Each chapter situates its subject matter in the context of a broader intellectual legacy, including the works of Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Theodore Rothstein, Stuart Hall and Samuel Beer, among others. Review"Taken as a whole, the collection [of essays] is outstanding, and both sparkles and provokes."--Nick Tiratsoo, London School of Economics About the AuthorJohn Callaghan is Professor of Politics at the University of Wolverhampton. Steven Fielding is Professor of Contemporary Political History in the School of English, Sociology, Politics and Contemporary History and Associate Director of the European Studies Research Institute at the University of Salford. Steve Ludlam is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of Sheffield. [C:\Users\Microsoft\Documents\Calibre Library] Interpreting the Labour Party consists of twelve essays on some of the principal thinkers and schools of thought concerned with the political and historical development of the Labour Party and the wider labour movement. It examines the major methodologies and approaches in Labour studies and critically evaluates much of the most interesting scholarship in this area of study. The essays are written by contributors who have devoted many years to the study of the Labour Party, the trade union movement and the various ideologies associated with them. The collection begins with chapters that examine Labour's ideological journey and assess the impact of the "new political history" on views of the party. Later contributions focus on how the problematic concept of "Labourism" has been applied to the party by the New Left and analyse how Labour's union link has been conceptualised. Key thinkers analysed include Henry Pelling, Ross McKibbin, Ralph Miliband, Lewis Minkin, David Marquand, Perry Anderson and Tom Nairn. Each chapter situates its subject matter in the context of a broader intellectual legacy, including the works of Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Theodore Rothstein, Stuart Hall and Samuel Beer, among others. The book will be of interest to undergraduate students of British politics and political theory, and to academics concerned with Labour politics and history, trade union history and politics, research methodology and political analysis The book begins with an in-depth analysis of how to study the Labour Party, and goes on to examine key periods in the development of the ideologies to which the party has subscribed. This includes the ideology on inter-war Labourism, the rival post-war perspectives on Labourism, the New Left, and the "contentious alliance" of unions with Labour. Key thinkers analysed include: Henry Pelling; Ross McKibbin; Ralph Miliband; Lewis Minkin; David Marquand; Perry Anderson; and Tom Nairn. Each chapter situates its subject matter in the context of a broader intellectual legacy, including the works of Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Theodore Rothstein, Stuart Hall and Samuel Beer, among others. This book should be of interest to undergraduate students of British politics and political theory and to academics concerned with Labour politics and history, trade union history and politics, research methodology and political analysis Introduction / John Callaghan, Steven Fielding And Steve Ludlam -- 1. Understanding Labour's Ideological Trajectory / Nick Randall -- 2. 'what Kind Of People Are You?' Labour, The People And The 'new Political History' / Lawrence Black -- 3. 'labourism' And The New Left / Madeleine Davis -- 4. Ralph Miliband And The Labour Party : From Parliamentary Socialism To 'bennism' / Michael Newman -- 5. The Continuing Relevance Of The Milibandian Perspective / David Coates And Leo Panitch -- 6. An Exceptional Comrade? The Nairn-anderson Interpretation / Mark Wickham-jones -- 7. Class And Politics In The Work Of Henry Pelling / Alastair J. Reid -- 8. Ross Mckibbin : Class Cultures, The Trade Unions And The Labour Party / John Callaghan. Edited By John Callaghan, Steven Fielding, Steve Ludlam. Selected Papers From A Conference In Manchester, July 2001. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. Interpreting the Labour Party consists of twelve essays on the principal thinkers and schools of thought concerned with the political and historical development of the Labour Party and Labour movement. The essays are written by contributors who have devoted many years to the study of the Labour Party, the trade union movement and the various ideologies associated with them. The book begins with an in-depth analysis of how to study the Labour Party, and goes on to examine key periods in the development of the ideologies to which the party has subscribed. Each chapter situates its subject matter in the context of a broader intellectual legacy, including the works of Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Theodore Rothstein, Stuart Hall and Samuel Beer, among others. This publication consists of 12 essays on the principal thinkers and schools of thought concerned with the political and historical development of the Labour Party and Labour movement. It is an examination of the major methodologies and approaches in Labour studies and a critical evaluation and appreciation of much of the most interesting scholarship in this area of study. The essays have been written by contributors who have devoted many years to the study of the Labour Party, the trade union movement and the various ideologies associated with them