Democracy in Practice Ceremony and Ritual in Parliament

'An imaginative and most valuable collection of high quality essays exploring the role of rituals and ceremonies in articulating the identity and shaping the popular perception of Parliament, and more generally of democracy and political life. I know no other that comes anywhere near it in its range and depth.'

Bhikhu Parekh, University of Westminster, UK, and House of Lords

'This book sets an exciting new agenda for understanding the gendered nature of political institutions through taking performance, symbol, ritual and rhetoric seriously. The book is an interdisciplinary intervention that simultaneously pays attention to empirical detail and to comparative method. It is a compelling read.'

Shireen Hassim, Professor of Politics, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa