Craig Calhoun, President » Societas Podcast

Episode #7: The “Here We Are” in “Yes We Can”

Jessica Chong — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:48:06 +0000

In this final episode of the election series for the podcast Societas, Craig Calhoun and Paul Price explore the historical and sociological implications of Barack Obama’s impressive victory. Does the election signal the beginnings of a “post-racial society” or a “nonviolent revolution?” What is the impact of Obama’s victory on the international scene? And what will increase the chances of success for an Obama presidency in the face of the daunting challenges of deep inequality in the U.S., two wars and a shredded economy? Listen to the sometimes surprising answers Craig provides.

Episode #6: Finding the Public Interest in Response to the Financial Crisis

Jessica Chong — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:41:15 +0000

In this special double edition of Societas (40 minutes long), Craig Calhoun addresses the current financial meltdown and says that it provides an opportunity to assess the kind of society we live in—if we are not led into a conversation only about how to “keep what’s mine,” or into a conversation solely about technical remedies by economists. Calhoun goes on to trace a trend of privatization and inarticulateness about the public good and the legitimate purposes of government. Finally, he hopes that McCain and Obama will use this occasion to flesh out their competing visions of appropriate government action and public service.

Read the complete transcript of this episode (PDF, 136 KB)

Episode #5: Shifting Overseas Views of U.S. Politics and Power

Jessica Chong — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:00:29 +0000

The Iraq War, Abu Ghraib—Craig Calhoun says that such topics continue to surface in conversations he has had with people he encountered during his recent sojourns to Morocco, Brazil and various European countries. But most of the people he met seem to realize the difference between the American people and the current U.S. government. Despite his sense that the Bush administration has hastened the decline of the United States as a superpower, many non-Americans are hopeful about the upcoming election. He therefore speculates that anti-Americanism, while widespread, is not irreparable.

Episode #4: Breaking Out of the Iron Cage

Jessica Chong — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:08 +0000

Craig Calhoun continues his analysis of supposedly irrational factors at play in electoral politics. This time they focus on charisma: to what extent is Barack Obama’s unique mix of political passion and a cool demeanor the source of his political appeal? Referring to Max Weber’s model of charismatic leadership, Calhoun notes that Obama has the gift of making us see him as someone who stands outside the traditional structures of government—and who can therefore help Americans break the “iron cage” of bureaucracy, politics-as-usual, and prevailing social roles.

Episode #3: God Bless American Politics, Part 2

Jessica Chong — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:00:55 +0000

Craig Calhoun focuses on the separation of church and state, this time with reference to religion scholar Mark Lilla’s new book on secularism, The Stillborn God. Calhoun goes on to discuss the Christian worldview that underpins American politics. He concludes by considering whether broad and energetic support for Obama constitutes a social movement. For more on American religion and politics, go to the SSRC blog The Immanent Frame, especially its extended discussion of Lilla’s book.

Episode #2: God Bless American Politics

Jessica Chong — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:00:10 +0000

Craig Calhoun comments on Mike Huckabee’s brand of religion and touches upon the political realignments taking place more widely within America’s evangelical communities. He goes on to provide an historical account of why religion assumes such a prominent place in the public sphere in the United States as compared to European countries. For more on American religion and politics, go to the SSRC blog The Immanent Frame, especially the posting by D. Michael Lindsay on Mike Huckabee’s new brand of evangelicalism and its coverage by in the U.S. News & World Report blog, Faith Matters, by Jay Tolson.

Episode #1: All Politics Are Identity Politics?

Jessica Chong — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:00:56 +0000

The first in a series of podcasts seeking to bring out social science issues related to the US presidential election contest, the episode takes up the theme of identity politics, at the moment when it first surfaced in the democratic primaries. Calhoun argues that there are good reasons to be troubled when people say that voters’ predetermined identities dictate political outcomes. For a start, this viewpoint contradicts the very possibilities of the political process to reshape identities as well as the way issues are framed. Calhoun also parts company with the critics of identity politics who imagine that there is some sort of pure world of rational interests where identities don’t matter. He argues, rather, that politics always includes establishing which of people’s many possible identities will shape their participation and their understanding of their interests. So there’s an identity politics in trying to convince wage-earners to identify with the working class rather than with racial or ethnic groupings; there’s an identity politics to nationalism as well as to cosmopolitanism.