The political is personal, expressive, aesthetic, and networked: Contemporary American languages of the self from Trump to Black Lives Matter

This essay explores the variety of discourses around individualism that now characterize American society, and their impact on contemporary social movements and political speech and practice. Though the United States is divided between those who embrace a cosmopolitan liberalism and nativist and pop...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of cultural sociology 2018-06, Vol.6 (2), p.359-386
Main Author: Tucker, Kenneth H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aesthetics
African Americans
Black Lives Matter movement
Elections
Individualism
Languages
Liberalism
Media Sociology
Modernity
Nativism
Neoliberalism
Original Article
Political movements
Populism
Social activism
Social media
Social movements
Social Sciences
Sociology
Sociology of Culture
Wall Street
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Summary:This essay explores the variety of discourses around individualism that now characterize American society, and their impact on contemporary social movements and political speech and practice. Though the United States is divided between those who embrace a cosmopolitan liberalism and nativist and populist reactions against it, I argue that contemporary vocabularies of the self, from romantic expressivism and entrepreneurial individualism to aesthetic and networked forms, underlie these different political perspectives. These modes of individualism have developed in the context of the rise of neo-liberalism, reflexive modernity, increased social media use, and the crisis of contemporary institutions. These languages of the self also inform the personal politics of modern social movements, including Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, the Tea Party, and the election of Donald Trump.
ISSN:2049-7113
2049-7121
DOI:10.1057/s41290-017-0027-9