OAFP 9325 - Symbolic Politics of Policy Making

This course investigates how symbols are used in politics and in policymaking and why this is important in our fragile polities. Symbols are everywhere in politics. Yet, they tend to be overlooked. We show that they are shared within social groups, which boundaries they define. We highlight their cognitive and embodied dimensions and learn how they convey meanings, shape collective representations and steer individuals to action. We take examples from emergency and routine situations and analyse how policymakers use them, for what purpose and under which constraints, to which effect. Through case studies selected and developed by students, we consider different policy sectors, actors and stages in the policy process and the publics that are targeted. The course is comparative, with a focus on qualitative methods of analysis due to the nature of the object of study.
Florence FAUCHER
Enseignement électif
English
Basic knowledge of concepts and methods in political science is required. Students should be able to understand academic papers written in English. Lectures and assessment will be in English. Students are expected to attend all sessions, having done the required reading, and be ready to discuss them.
Autumn 2025-2026
• 1 group presentation with a topic approved by the instructor (40%) • 1 paper analysing the symbolic dimension of a policy chosen by the student in agreement with the instructor (30%) • Student engagement during the semester (participation in class discussions during and outside of class, contribution to peer evaluation exercices, ability to ask questions, and class citizenship etc.) (30%)
The course combines lectures and seminar discussions on readings, individuals and group projects such as presentations, class discussions and peer-reviewing.
Boussaguet, Laurie, et Florence Faucher. 2020. « Beyond a gesture. The treatment of the symbolic in public policy analysis ». French Politics 18 (1‑2): 189‑205.
Edelman, Murray. 1977. Political Language: Words That Succeed and Policies That Fail. New York : Academic Press.
Boussaguet, Laurie, et Florence Faucher. 2024. Symbolic Policy. Elements in Public Po;icy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Saward, Michael. 2010. The Representative Claim. 1st edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hart, Paul 't. 1993. « Symbols, Rituals and Power: The Lost Dimensions of Crisis Management ». Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 1 (1): 36‑50. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5973.1993.tb00005.x.
Anderson, Benedict. 1991. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Verso Books.
Anderson, Christopher J. 2023. « Citizens and the State during Crisis: Public Authority, Private Behaviour and the Covid-19 Pandemic in France ». European Journal of Political Research 62 (2): 571‑93.
Benford, Robert D., et David A. Snow. 2000. « Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview and Assessment ». Annual Review of Sociology 26 (1): 611‑39.
Boin, Arjen, Paul 't Hart, Paul C. Stern, et Bengt Sundelius. 2017. The Politics of Crisis Management: Public Leadership Under Pressure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chong, D., et J.N. Druckman. 2007. « A Theory of Framing and Opinion Formation in Competitive Elite Environ¬ments ». Journal of Communication, 57:99‑118.
Crow, D., & Jones, M. (2018). Narratives as tools for influencing policy change. Policy & Politics, 46(2), 217-234. from https://doi.org/10.1332/030557318X15230061022899
Douglas, Mary. 1986. How institutions think. Syracuse (N.Y.): Syracuse University Press.
Druckman, James N., et Lawrence R. Jacobs. 2015. Who Governs?: Presidents, Public Opinion, and Manipulation. University of Chicago Press.
Edelman, Murray. 1985. The symbolic uses of politics. Champaign, Ill.: University of Illinois Press.
Finlayson, Alan. 2021. « Performing Political Ideologies ». In The Oxford Handbook of Politics and Performance, 471‑83. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190863456.013.21.
Firat, Bilge. 2019. Diplomacy and lobbying during Turkey's Europeanisation. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Fischer, Frank. 2003. Reframing Public Policy: Discursive Politics and Deliberative Practices. 1 edition. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
Freistein, Katja, et Frank and Gadinger. 2022. « Performing leadership: international politics through the lens of visual narrative analysis ». Political Research Exchange 4 (1): 2124922.
Gaffney, John. 2014. « Performative Political Leadership ». In The Oxford Handbook of Political Leadership, édité par R. A. W. Rhodes et Paul 't Hart, 389‑402. Oxford: OUP Oxford.
Hulst, Merlijn van, Metze ,Tamara, Dewulf ,Art, de Vries ,Jasper, van Bommel ,Severine, et Mark and van Ostaijen. 2025. « Discourse, framing and narrative: three ways of doing critical, interpretive policy analysis ». Critical Policy Studies 19 (1): 74‑9
Jacobs, Lawrence R., et Suzanne Mettler. 2018. « When and How New Policy Creates New Politics: Examining the Feedback Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Public Opinion ». Perspectives On Politics 16 (2): pp345-363. https://doi.org/10.1017/S15375927170
Rauer, Valentin. 2006. « Symbols in Action: Willy Brandt's kneefall at the Warsaw Memorial ». In Social Performance, édité par Jeffrey C. Alexander, 257‑82. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Simko, Christina. 2012. « Rhetorics of Suffering: September 11 Commemorations as Theodicy ». American Sociological Review 77 (6): 880‑902. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122412458785.
Wodak, Ruth. 2009. The Discourse of Politics in Action. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230316539.
Yanow, Dvora. 1996. How Does a Policy Mean?: Interpreting Policy and Organizational Actions. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.