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Date of Award
2-2010
Access Type
Campus Access
Document type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Political Science
First Advisor
Jeffrey L. Sedgwick
Second Advisor
Jerome M. Mileur
Third Advisor
Ralph Whitehead
Subject Categories
American Studies | Political Science | United States History
Abstract
The institutions of representation are the target of continuous reform and repair in the United States. This dissertation examines the concepts of representation that have been used to support both representational reform and the status quo. In examining these concepts, I argue that the breadth of the public discourse on representation has narrowed over time. This has been the result of changes in three ideas that constitute the concept of representation: human nature, community, and the purpose of government. The content and relative balance of these ideas shape the concept of representation over time and thus the character of representative institutions.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/5662974
Recommended Citation
Campbell, Patrick F, "Constituting Representation: The Concept Of Representation In American Political Development" (2010). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 146.
https://doi.org/10.7275/5662974
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/146