Societas

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

admin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:47:51 +0000

The Iraq War, Abu Ghraib — Craig Calhoun says that such topics continue to surface in conversations he has had with people he encountered on his recent travels to Morocco, Brazil and various European countries. But most people 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 U.S. as a superpower, many non-Americans are hopeful about the upcoming election, thinking it may harbor a new era of leadership. Calhoun speculates that anti-Americanism, while widespread, is not irreparable.

Episode #4: Breaking Out of the Iron Cage

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:55:36 +0000

In another conversation with Paul Price, 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 therefore someone who can help Americans break the “iron cage” of bureaucracy, politics-as-usual and dominant social roles.

Episode #3: God Bless American Politics, Part 2

admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:54:32 +0000

In conversation with Paul Price, Craig Calhoun continues his analysis of the separation of church and state, this time with reference to a new book on secularism by religion scholar Mark Lilla, 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 our blog The Immanent Frame.

Episode #2: God Bless American Politics

Craig Calhoun — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:33:30 +0000

Episode #1: All Politics Are Identity Politics?

Craig Calhoun — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:00:31 +0000

I’ve been urging more public social science for years, but doing it in pretty traditional media - academic articles and essays on the web. My colleagues have convinced me to experiment with another medium. This posting launches a series of podcasts. My colleague Paul Price, the SSRC’s editorial director, is organizing interviews to bring out social science issues related to the US presidential contest. The first episode, “All Politics Are Identity Politics” takes up a theme that became especially prominent in the democratic primaries. There are good reasons to be troubled when people say predetermined identities dictate political outcomes. This is contrary to the very possibilities of the political process to reshape identities as well as the way issues are framed. But I part company with many critics of identity politics who imagine that there is some sort of pure world of rational interests where identities don’t matter. Rather, I think 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 and also to cosmopolitanism.

Check back in two weeks for another podcast in which Paul and I focus on the role of religion in this election and how it relates to the self-understanding of American citizens.

I hope you find this effort of interest, and I invite you to subscribe to the podcast series either through RSS here on my blog, or through iTunes. Your comments are also welcome.