The Hamilton Department of Government announced its reading list of texts to help enhance an understanding of politics. The list, comprised of selections by each faculty member, includes many classic works as well as contemporary scholarly publications.
Reading List For Government Majors:
We recommend the following readings for students majoring in or thinking about majoring in Government. We hope that they will enhance your understanding of politics and inspire you to think and learn more. If you have any questions about these or other readings, we welcome the chance to discuss them with you.
Professor David Paris, James B. Sherman Professor of Government, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty:
Robert A. Dahl, A Preface to Democratic Theory--The classic unpacking of the logic of democracy.
Michael Lind, The Next American Nation: The New Nationalism and the Fourth American Revolution--A recasting of the history of American political thought.
Daniel Bell, The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism--Explores the relationships of markets, politics and society.
David Labarree, How to Succeed in School Without Really Learning Anything: The Credentials Race in American Education--As befits the title, you needn't read all of this to come away with a different take on the history of American public education and some of the conflicts between learning and getting ahead.
And the classics:
Plato's Republic
Aristotle's Politics
Machiavelli, The Prince and Discourses on Livy
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, The Federalist Papers
Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty
Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Professor Frank Anechiarico, Maynard-Knox Professor of Government and Law:
Gwen Dordick, Something Left to Lose: Personal Relations and Survival Among New York's Homeless
Pietro di Donato, Christ in Concrete: A Novel
Fox Butterfield, All God's Children : The Bosket Family and the American Tradition of Violence
All three books offer views of the less advantaged, up close and personal, and include rich historical and political material as context for the tribulations of the people in each narrative.
Dordick's book is an ethnography of the sites she studied-- the Port Authority, the Uptown Armory, and a shanty town-- where the homeless congregate in New York City. We read it in New York Program and my students found it a very powerful explanation of how people survived on the street for long periods of time.
Christ in Concrete was written by a first generation Italian bricklayer and is essentially the story of his life during the depression. His father had been killed in building collapse and he was forced to leave school to support a large family. The scenes in which the family confronts the construction company and then the city for compensation are classics. It's a wonderful, first-hand account of the immigrant and first generation experience in the US.
All God's Children recounts the tale of the Bosket's, an African-American family struggling with a legacy of violence and its tragic consequences.
Professor Theodore Eismeier:
Michael Sandel, Democracy's Discontent: America in Search of a Public Philosophy--A magisterial history of American political ideas.
James Q. Wilson, Political Organizations--Still the best account of the internal and external dynamics of political organizations and the role of groups in American democracy.
Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men--A great novel about politics and much more.
Professor Alan Cafruny, Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Affairs:
Chalmers Johnson, Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire--The title speaks for itself--a radical critique from the respected, conservative sociologist.
Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe's 20th Century--An impressive review of the century--explodes the myth of one-dimensional progress towards European unity and democracy.
Jack Donnelly, Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice--A strong defense of human rights against conceptions of cultural relativism and collectivism.
Emile Zola, Germinal--One of the best historical novels: masterpiece of class battles in the coalmines of northern France. A dramatic novel of complex personal and social relationships.
Professor Carol Drogus:
Charles Lindblom, Politics and Markets: The World's Political Economic Systems--A democratic critique of the relationship between markets/business and democratic politics. Although Lindblom agrees that markets are necessary for democracy, he raises important questions about the points at which the two might also become incompatible.
Pamela Constable and Arturo Valenzuela, A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet--A well-written and gripping account of the impact of military rule on the daily lives of Chileans. Important to understanding how a society that believes itself to be thoroughly democratic can succumb to authoritarianism in a twinkling.
Tina Rosenberg, Children of Cain: Violence and the Violent in Latin America--Vivid stories and powerful insights into how inequality produces violence on the part of the rich as well as the poor in Latin America. Will help Americans understand the US role in the region as well--and will also help us become aware of how many of our (and our policymakers') assumptions about it are wrong.
Vaclav Havel, The Power of the Powerless--Everyone who cares about politics needs to read Havel's impassioned plea for "living in the truth." Written in the context of communist rule, his plea for political consciousness applies to the US as well--though as he says, it may be harder to act on it here.
James Scott, Domination and the Arts of Resistance--Probably the most interesting and perceptive account of the importance of "public performance" in creating patterns of power and resistance. You'll never watch a parade, an election, or the State of the Union in quite the same way after you read Scott. You may also see popular culture differently, too.
Professor Steve Orvis:
Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth--Classic statement of the relationship between colonizer and colonized, black and white, dominant and dominated. This is the earliest critical analysis of the problems of post-colonial Africa, and by extension much of the "Third World."
Samuel P. Huntington, Political Order in Changing Societies--Generally considered, even thirty years after publication, the most influential book in the study of the politics of developing societies. While providing few answers, it still raises most of the fundamental questions.
Jeff Spinner, The Boundaries of Citizenship: Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality in the Liberal State--The best readable introduction to the issues of multiculturalism in a liberal society.
Robert Bates, Prosperity and Violence: The Political Economy of Development--New and superb use of public choice theory to explain the development of prosperity in the developed world and poverty in the "Third World," focusing on policies states logically pursue given the structure of their international and historical position.
Robert Heilbroner, The Nature and Logic of Capitalism--Excellent neo-Marxist presentation of the fundamental relationships between the economy and the state in a capitalist society.
Professor Cheng Li:
E. E. Schattschneider, The Semisovereign People: A Realist's View of Democracy in America--It brilliantly illustrates Reinhold Niebuhr's notion: "Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary."
George Soros, The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Open Society Endangered--A capitalist's confession of why global capitalism is headed toward doomsday.
Jung Chang, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China--A communist's confession of why communism failed and why it will never succeed.
Professor Gary Wyckoff:
Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays, "Self-Reliance" and "The American Scholar"--In these essays, Emerson makes the case for intellectual independence. Emerson would argue, I think, that college is intended to sharpen the intellectual gifts that students already have, and help them develop their own unique view of the world. It is not, as so many students seem to think, a process by which students are plugged into intellectual boxes, or molded into what we and the economy feel they should be. I think that's a terribly important message for students to get, especially at a place like Hamilton. I can't resist giving you one of my favorite passages from "Self-Reliance":
"And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark."
Robert Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York--This is Caro's earlier book about Robert Moses, the man who built most of the infrastructure of New York City. It is a vivid lesson in public administration, the influence of personal energy and competence, and the corrosive effect of power. I think it teaches students a lot about the way things get done in the public sector.
Gabriel Almond, "Separate Tables: Schools and Sects in Political Science," PS: Political Science and Politics 21 (Fall 1988): 828-842--Students in our discipline are asked to accept and deal with a huge variety of approaches. Most of the time, these approaches are foisted on the students without any discussion or justification: when they take a particular class, they find that that approach is simply the norm -- take it or leave it. This article gives students a preview of what they are likely find when they take classes. I personally found it a very helpful tool in understanding the strange creatures known as political scientists.
Professor Philip Klinkner:
V.O. Key, Jr., Southern Politics in State and Nation--Key combines vivid stories with simple, but insightful, analysis to give a picture Southern politics at the end of the Jim Crow era. Furthermore, Ch. 14 provides a thought-provoking discussion of the value two-party competition that scholars are still debating.
Derrick Bell, Faces At the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism--Using fictional stories and allegories, Bell explores how race and racism influence American society.
Rogers Smith, Civil Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History--Smith's exhaustive study of U.S. citizenship from before the founding to the Progressive Era gives an insightful and challenging account of what it has meant and what it means to be an American.
Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy--Politics stripped to its essentials, Down's approach is necessary (but not sufficient) for understanding the behavior of parties, politicians, and voters.
Roy Jenkins, Churchill--Not really political science, but a terrific biography of one of one of the last century's most colorful and important people.
Professor Yael Aronoff:
Richard K. Betts, Conflict After the Cold War: Arguments on Causes of War and Peace, 2nd Ed.--An essential book for students of international relations. The book offers a collection of selections from a broad array of the most important articles in the field. It offers a good introduction and review of the realist/liberal debate in international relations.
Robert Jervis, Perception and Misperception in International Relations--A classic book for students of international relations discussing psychological processes that facilitate the security dilemma, or a spiral of mutual fear and misunderstanding that can lead to conflict.
Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations--A thought-provoking book setting out criteria for just ends and means for warfare. The all-time classic on this subject, and has renewed relevance in analyzing the ethical dilemmas inherent in counter-terrorism.
Graham T. Allison, Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis--A classic book for students of U.S. Foreign Policy on bureaucratic politics in particular, and on using the Cuban Missile Crisis to analyze different approaches to analyzing foreign policy decisions more generally.
Professor Sharon Rivera:
Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy--Published in 1957, this path-breaking book laid the foundations for rational choice analysis in political science and set an important agenda of scholarly research on voting behavior and political parties.
Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, in Robert Tucker, The Marx-Engels Reader, 2nd ed.--This treatise is the intellectual framework for one of the most important ideological currents of the twentieth century, one that shaped the course of history for a significant percentage of the world's population and that continues to have a lasting influence on the post-communist world.
Robert D. Putnam, Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy--Proceeding from a Tocquevillian emphasis on the importance of civil society, this book makes a solid empirical case for the role of social capital in improving government performance. It has spawned much research—both from an academic and public policy standpoint—on how social capital can be created, sustained, and used to further important societal goals.
Kenneth Hoover and Todd Donovan, The Elements of Social Scientific Thinking, 7th ed.--Covers issues such as: what is science/what can we know/how to think about causality and measure variables/etc.
Professor Rob Martin:
Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"--King's classic analysis of the place of a higher law in political life; it vividly demonstrates that political engagement is at once rewarding, demanding, and absolutely necessary.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality--Political psychology at its most insightful. Rousseau knows exactly why we all think and act alike, and the causes, as it turns out, are the liberty and property rights we associate
with what we call "freedom."
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein--As the Scientific Revolution gave way to the Industrial Revolution, Shelley's novel explored the tragic folly of modern rationality and the technological efforts it occasions. A cautionary tale for those witnessing the Technological and Genetic Revolutions.
Benjamin Barber, Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age--A remarkably readable critique of liberal democracy and call for something more.
Kristi Campbell, Visiting Instructor of Government:
David R. Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection--This book is a "must read" for anyone interested in Congress and congressional elections. Mayhew skillfully describes what motivates individual members of Congress and how this goal affects their behavior in Congress.
Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action--Olson explains why it is not logical for individuals to participate in a group or organization attempting to achieve a public good, such as a clean air or a new park. He touches upon man's rational, self-interested nature and the consequences this has on public policymaking.
John Gaventa, Power and Powerlessness: Quiescence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley--Gaventa discusses the concept of "power" and the three different forms of power that exist within our society. This is an important book for understanding why some groups in society fail to participate in the political process. His book has won numerous awards.
Carlos Yordan, Visiting Instructor of Government:
Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy--This is probably one of the best books on US Foreign Policy and international relations theory in general. Even if you don't agree with Kissinger's views, the book is well written and it makes strong arguments on why the US needs a strong foreign policy.
Elie Kedourie, Nationalism, 4th edition--This is a classic work on nationalism, especially in the Western European experience. It links the rise of nationalism to different theories of the Enlightenment and German Romanticism.
Geir Lundenstad, "Empire" by Integration: The United States and European Integration, 1945-1997--Is the US an imperial power? Lundenstad argues that it is, though his definition of "empire" is different from the 19th century understanding. Using archival data, the author shows how the process of European integration was in fact a US project. This is not to say that the Europeans did not play an important role, but the book clearly shows the reasons why the US strongly impelled European politicians to embrace the project of European integration.
Jurgen Habermas, The Inclusion of the Other: Studies in Political Theory, edited by C. Cronin and P. De Grief.--Habermas is one of the most respected political philosophers of our time. His defense of modernity and the Enlightenment tradition have sparked a series of debate between post-modernists, conservatives and even orthodox Marxists. His works have influenced scholars in different fields of study. This book is a good introduction to Habermas's thinking as the essays collected in this volume address some of main themes he has developed in his academic career: (1) deliberative politics, (2) discourse ethics, (3) the possibility of muliticultural society and (4) the role reason plays in contemporary political theory.
Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire--This is without a doubt one of the most provocative works in contemporary political theory. Hardt and Negri's study 'problematize', in Michel Foucault's sense, established understandings of politics and questions the current definition of concepts such as: the nation, sovereignty, and people. By looking at the current changes prompted by globalization and cultural homogenization, they attempt to find the new source of oppression in the 21 century. This is a must read to all students in all fields of political science and international relations.
