Rafael Behr speaks to social anthropologist Emma Crewe about parliament; what makes MPs tick, the psychological mechanisms they need to function in one of the country's weirdest workplaces - and their relationship with journalists.

Professor Crewe, of SOAS, University of London, is the only anthropologist to have been based inside the Palace of Westminster, having spent years embedded in both the Lords and the Commons, enjoying uniquely privileged access to the inner workings of the legislature.

You can read more about her research on parliaments and other topics at her Global Research Network on People and Parliaments website: www.grnpp.org or on her personal site www.emmacrewe.com

Routledge will be publishing her latest book - 'An Anthropology of Parliaments: entanglements in democratic politics' in 2021.

This podcast is hosted by https://wwww.zencast.fm

Help shape the future of Politics on the Couch

Do please take a moment to complete our listener survey which will only take 2-3 minutes.

It will help us work out a sustainable funding model to make more Politics on the Couch episodes.

Many thanks!

This is a Behr and Berman podcast production

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Political Animal - a breed apart?