The Politics of Consolation

Zusatztext In modern American history, politicians have frequently stepped into the public eye to 'console the nation' in the aftermath of violent events. In doing so, they seek to render evil comprehensible while also setting out a course of action that follows 'naturally' from the events they interpret. Christina Simko's study discovers the inner logic of this process, and thus articulates a new understanding of how public sense-making proceeds in a democracy driven by bothmyth and power. This book is a wonderful debut from a powerful new voice in interpretive sociology. Informationen zum Autor Christina Simko is Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh. Klappentext What meaning can be found in calamity and suffering? The Politics of Consolation examines how American political leaders have addressed this question, tracing the history of American political consolation and examining how this long tradition framed the events of September 11, 2001. Zusammenfassung What meaning can be found in calamity and suffering? This question is in some sense perennial, reverberating through the canons of theology, philosophy, and literature. Today, The Politics of Consolation reveals, it is also a significant part of American political leadership. Faced with uncertainty, shock, or despair, Americans frequently look to political leaders for symbolic and existential guidance, for narratives that bring meaning to the confrontationwith suffering, loss, and finitude. Politicians, in turn, increasingly recognize consolation as a cultural expectation, and they often work hard to fulfill it. The events of September 11, 2001 raised these questions of meaning powerfully. How were Americans to make sense of the violence that unfolded on that sunny Tuesday morning? This book examines how political leaders drew upon a long tradition of consolation discourse in their effort to interpret September 11, arguing that the day's events were mediated through memories of past suffering in decisive ways. It then traces how the struggle to define the meaning of September 11 has continued inforeign policy discourse, commemorative ceremonies, and the contentious redevelopment of the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface; Introduction; Part I: Political Consolation in American History; Chapter 1: Revisiting the Civil Scriptures; Chapter 2: The War of Good and Evil; Chapter 3: American Tragedies; Part II: Politics and Consolation after September 11; Chapter 4: September Mourning; Chapter 5: From Consolation to Legitimation; Chapter 6: Consolation and Commemoration; Chapter 7: Symbolic Politics on Sacred Ground; Conclusion: Crisis Moments and Political Meanings; Notes; Bibliography; Index ...

Auteur
Christina Simko is Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh.

Texte du rabat

What meaning can be found in calamity and suffering? The Politics of Consolation examines how American political leaders have addressed this question, tracing the history of American political consolation and examining how this long tradition framed the events of September 11, 2001.

Contenu

Preface; Introduction; Part I: Political Consolation in American History; Chapter 1: Revisiting the Civil Scriptures; Chapter 2: The War of Good and Evil; Chapter 3: American Tragedies; Part II: Politics and Consolation after September 11; Chapter 4: September Mourning; Chapter 5: From Consolation to Legitimation; Chapter 6: Consolation and Commemoration; Chapter 7: Symbolic Politics on Sacred Ground; Conclusion: Crisis Moments and Political Meanings; Notes; Bibliography; Index