The book presents six articles written at intervals of about a decade between 1960 and 2020, all of which relate to the problem of representative politics. The articles are contextualised historically to document a developing presentation of self on the part of the author while also raising questions about the changing nature of political representation.

Derek Robbins is Emeritus Professor of International Social Theory at the University of East London.

Sources; Notes on Text; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Mr. Benn or Lord Stansgate? An Investigation of the Bristol South-East By-Election, May 4, 1961, and Its Consequences [1962], A. The Background, B. The Text; 2. 1795: The Political Lectures [1972], A. The Background, B. The Text; 3. Reflections on Citizenship and Nationhood from Brubaker's Account on France and Germany [1993], A. The Background, B. The Text; 4. Burke and Bristol Revisited [1999], A. The Background, B. The Text; 5. From Solidarity to Social Inclusion: The Political Transformations of Durkheimianism [2008], A. The Background, B. The Text; 6. Bourdieu and the Field of Politics [2018], A. The Background, B. The Text; Postscript; References; Index.