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Podcast: New Books in American Politics
Episode: Wendy Salkin, "Speaking for Others: The Ethics of Informal Political Representation" (Harvard UP, 2024)
Description: We are familiar with the idea of aĀ formalĀ representative, and perhaps the idea of a formalĀ politicalĀ representative readily comes to mind. Roughly, this is someone who has been selected by an official process to hold a political office where he or she is tasked with promoting, advocating, and speaking for a constituency. However, we are also familiar withĀ informalĀ representatives: those who speak for a constituency but are not appointed by formal processes. Once again, the idea of an informalĀ politicalĀ representative is probably familiar: rock stars and other celebrities commonly claim to āspeak forā others with respect to d...