Description
Book SynopsisExamines the problem of rhetorical violence in American political discourse, and maps the history of one form, the politics of resentment. Investigates key events in American history that have led to a current culture of resentment.
Trade Review“What is the relationship between rhetoric and violence? Jeremy Engels addresses that question in the aftermath of the 2011 shooting spree that seriously wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed several others. Drawing on wide-ranging scholarship in political theory and American public discourse, he argues that political elites hijack justified popular resentment against oppressive social systems and redirect it against powerless individuals, thereby creating the potential for violence. Provocative in its understanding of democracy, compelling in its case studies of Richard Nixon and Sarah Palin, and challenging in its call for reinvigorated rhetorical criticism, this is a book that makes us think.”
—David Zarefsky,former president of the National Communication Association and of the Rhetoric Society of America
“There may be no more pressing problem in contemporary U.S. political culture than a flourishing politics of resentment, which divides citizens, stalls policy, and excuses injustice. In The Politics of Resentment, Jeremy Engels helps readers understand how resentment has arisen as a political force and how scholars and citizens may respond. Toward these ends, The Politics of Resentment deftly weaves together history, criticism, and theory. Engels argues eloquently that we cannot ‘ban resentment from the public sphere,’ but he suggests ways to productively turn resentment toward disclosing structural violence, thereby helping achieve justice and promote a public good.”
—Robert Asen,University of Wisconsin–Madison
“Recommended for scholars of public address and rhetorical theory alike, The Politics of Resentment will soon be required reading for courses on deliberative democracy—and deservedly so. With proper exposure, this book may well contribute to the growth of a more peaceful, less resentful nation.”
—Eric C. Miller Southern Communication Journal
“Engels continues his studies into the historical use of rhetoric with a volume summarizing what he considers the particularly nefarious use of rhetoric by political and economic elites in the United States since the Nixon years of the 1960s, to achieve unity in a recalcitrant and potentially revolutionary democracy, no longer in the traditional way through inspiring fear and patriotism by creating the spectre of a hostile and unreasonable outside enemy, but precisely the reverse, abandoning the classic goal of preserving internal unity by identifying an internal enemy.”
—Patrick Madigan Heythrop Journal
Table of ContentsEssay i
Essay ii Essay iii
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments / vii Introduction:DemocracyandResentment / 1
Reimagining the People: From Duas
Civitates to E Pluribus Unum to E Unibus Duo / 25
The Rise of the Politics of Resentment / 70 The Rhetoric of Violence / 103
Conclusion: Resentment Ad Hominem
and Ad Ratio: A Plea for Rhetorical Criticism / 144
Notes / 163 Bibliography / 183 Index / 199
