Overview

The debate on Athenian democratic ideology has long been polarised around two extremes. A Marxist tradition views ideology as a cover-up for Athens' internal divisions. Another tradition, sometimes referred to as culturalist, interprets it neutrally as the fixed set of ideas shared by the members of the Athenian community. Matteo Barbato addresses this dichotomy by providing a unitary approach to Athenian democratic ideology. Analysing four different myths from the perspective of the New Institutionalism, he demonstrates that Athenian democratic ideology was a fluid set of ideas, values and beliefs shared by the Athenians as a result of a constant ideological practice influenced by the institutions of the democracy. He shows that this process entailed the active participation of both the mass and the elite and enabled the Athenians to produce multiple and compatible ideas about their community and its mythical past.

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9781474466431

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"Matteo Barbato combines an analysis of political institutions with a diligent reading of funeral speeches and tragedies. He skilfully demonstrates the importance of myths in classical Athens and offers a fresh perspective on values and role models in the Athenian democracy.-- ""Christian Mann, University of Mannheim"" This is a work of impressive and innovative scholarship providing a bridge between historians of ancient Greece and political scientists.[...] Highly recommended.--A. J. Papalas, emeritus, East Carolina University ""CHOICE, April 2021"""

Author Information

Matteo Barbato, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in Classics and Ancient History, University of Birmingham.

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