The Ashgate Research Companion to the Politics of Democratization in Europe: Concepts and Histories

This collection of essays challenges a common interpretation of democratization: the assumption that Western democracy is the standard for the study of democratization occurring elsewhere in the world. Focusing on Europe, the authors contend that politics, precedent, and history should be the primary elements of study. This wide-ranging study includes chapters on: representative democracy, Rousseau's theory of democracy, democratic politics and the dynamics of passions, gender parity, women's partial citizenship, political rhetoric and the role of ridicule, the history of parliamentary democracy in Denmark, and the breakthrough of universal suffrage in Finland. Editors Palonen (Academy of Finland professor, U. of Jyvaskyla), Pulkkinen (women's studies, U. of Jyvaskyla), Rosales (moral and political philosophy, U. of Malaga), and 20 authors contributed to the book. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Kari Palonen is Academy of Finland Professor at the University of JyvA?skylA?, Finland. Tuija Pulkkinen is Professor of Women's Studies at the University of JyvA?skylA? and JosAc MarA-a Rosales is Lecturer in Moral and Political Philosophy at the University of MA!laga, Spain