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“Citizens at the Door”: Mobilising Against the Enemy in Civil War L ondon
Author(s) -
Leng Tom
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of historical sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.186
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1467-6443
pISSN - 0952-1909
DOI - 10.1111/johs.12065
Subject(s) - parliament , adversary , spanish civil war , political science , agency (philosophy) , politics , law , political economy , media studies , public administration , sociology , social science , computer security , computer science
This article considers how the image of the enemy was deployed by parliamentarian activists in civil war L ondon. It focuses on the “malignant party” identified in parliamentary discourse as guilty of dividing crown and parliament and precipitating civil war. Endorsing the reality of this party became a means for activists to assert their status as those most “well‐affected” to parliament, and to legitimise their own political agency within the terms of parliamentary discourse. By learning to speak the language of parliament, these activists were able to participate in the construction of the parliamentary cause, and to shape its future.