Dear all,
Please consider submitting abstracts.
Best,
Hasan
*Digital media are making politics impossible *
The question on the liberal left’s collective mind since Trump’s election
to the office of the 45th president of the United States – but not on the
mind of many right-wing Republicans, for whom Trump’s victory is a sign of
the imminence of Christ’s return* – has been: “How? How did Trump get
elected?”
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges wrote back in March of 2016
that a Trump victory was likely because:
“College-educated elites, on behalf of corporations, carried out the savage
neoliberal assault on the working poor. […] These elites […] spoke the
language of values – civility, inclusivity, a condemnation of overt racism
and bigotry, a concern for the middle class – while thrusting a knife in
the back of the underclass for their corporate masters. This game has
ended.”**
Six years ago, in an interview with Hedges, Noam Chomsky predicted that if
a charismatic man ran for president – on a platform of making illegal
immigrants and Blacks the enemy, while also turning white males into a
persecuted minority – he would soon sweep the presidential election.***
However, these analyses don’t get to the crux of the matter as far as the
creation of the conditions that made it possible for Trump to be elected.
According to Hannah Arendt, politics is based on an idea of active
citizenship, on the value and importance of civic engagement, and
collective deliberation about all matters affecting the political
community. A vital component in such a conception of politics is an
informed citizenry. Contrary to what Silicon Valley techno-utopians
predicted (and indeed still predict will happen), digital technologies have
not brought about a revolution in human learning and achievement. The
recent US presidential elections, Brexit in the UK, and the rise of the far
right in Europe**** are – we contend – a clear indication that digital
media have been making politics, in Arendt’s understanding of the term,
more and more impossible.
This special issue of Allegra Lab examines the ways in which digital media
are making politics impossible. We invite contributions from people across
disciplines. Please send a 250-word abstract (final submissions will be
2000-2500 words – due date TBA) to [log in to unmask] by February 25 for
consideration.
__________
* “Alex Jones prayerfully reflects on the victory of President Trump,”
November 9, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVp7XTsBXx4
** Chris Hedges, “The Revenge of the Lower Classes and the Rise of American
Fascism,” Truthdig, August 8, 2016, https://www.truthdig.com/
report/item/the_revenge_of_the_lower_classes_and_the_
rise_of_american_fascism_20160302
*** Chris Hedges, “Noam Chomsky Has ‘Never Seen Anything Like This,”
Truthdig, Apr 19, 2010
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/noam_chomsky_has_
never_seen_anything_like_this_20100419
**** “Europe’s Rising Far Right: A Guide to the Most Prominent Parties,”
The New York Times, December 4, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/
interactive/2016/world/europe/europe-far-right-political-parties-listy.html
--
Hasan Azad, Ph.D.
Dept. of Religion
Columbia University
NY, 10027
Red and Green Oil on Water: a novel
*https://www.amazon.com/Red-Green-Water-Hasan-Azad-ebook/dp/B01IZMTHEY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471572284&sr=1-1
<https://www.amazon.com/Red-Green-Water-Hasan-Azad-ebook/dp/B01IZMTHEY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1471572284&sr=1-1>*
website: http://www.hasanazad.com/main/
Academia.edu: https://columbia.academia.edu/HasanAzad
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/has-an-apple
co-founder: Yoga Makes Art: https://yogaandwriting.wordpress.com/2016/02/
*************************************************************
* Anthropology-Matters Mailing List
* http://www.anthropologymatters.com *
* A postgraduate project comprising online journal, *
* online discussions, teaching and research resources *
* and international contacts directory. *
* To join this list or to look at the archived previous *
* messages visit: *
* http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/Anthropology-Matters.HTML *
* If you have ALREADY subscribed: to send a message to all *
* those currently subscribed to the list,just send mail to: *
* [log in to unmask] *
* *
* Enjoyed the mailing list? Why not join the new *
* CONTACTS SECTION @ www.anthropologymatters.com *
* an international directory of anthropology researchers
*
* To unsubscribe: please log on to jiscmail.ac.uk, and *
* go to the 'Subscriber's corner' page. *
*
***************************************************************
|
