Politics of Imagination
Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
In a democratic society where elections are held to decide the holders of political office or
referendums formulated to get a majority vote on national issues, the ability to get the most votes from eligible citizens remains a primary concern of politicians. I put forward the view that factual information alone is not enough to motivate voters. There is a need to consider the influence of the imagination on voting behaviour. This thesis is first an
attempt to locate the imagination within the political sphere, and examine how political
behaviour can be influenced through the imagination. The 2016 Brexit Referendum will be the example used to analyse how the imagination plays an important part in politics. If one desires to have a good understanding on voting behaviour, a theory that includes the
imagination should be considered. Thus I argue for adopting the conceptual framework of
David Hume over the standard rational choice theory in providing a framework of how
imagination can influence voter behaviour, and at the same time, provide a framework
towards my conception of the politics of imagination.
Description
Keywords
democracy, imagined communities, rationality, Brexit Referendum, David Hume