Publisher's Synopsis
Friendships significantly structure human coexistence. So far, however, these social categories have not been given sufficient attention in political science research. For a long time they were considered marginal because apparently purely private phenomena. Judith Gurr systematically works out that friendship is also a central category of politics. Political friendships in the Aristotelian typology are based on the philia concept of functional friendships: as elementary instruments of power for political leaders and groups, they are useful practices for acquiring, increasing and maintaining power, and political and social capital. This brings up important questions: What functions does friendship have for the politics of today's societies? How can friendship affect the political power play of modernity? The author examines these questions using the example of the relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair to their friends, patrons and faithful.
