Appeals to Interest

Language, Contestation, and the Shaping of Political Agency

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Communication, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory
Cover of the book Appeals to Interest by Dean Mathiowetz, Penn State University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Dean Mathiowetz ISBN: 9780271072166
Publisher: Penn State University Press Publication: March 25, 2011
Imprint: Penn State University Press Language: English
Author: Dean Mathiowetz
ISBN: 9780271072166
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Publication: March 25, 2011
Imprint: Penn State University Press
Language: English

It has become a commonplace assumption in modern political debate that white and rural working- and middle-class citizens in the United States who have been rallied by Republicans in the “culture wars” to vote Republican have been voting “against their interests.” But what, exactly, are these “interests” that these voters are supposed to have been voting against? It reveals a lot about the role of the notion of interest in political debate today to realize that these “interests” are taken for granted to be the narrowly self-regarding, primarily economic “interests” of the individual. Exposing and contesting this view of interests, Dean Mathiowetz finds in the language of interest an already potent critique of neoliberal political, theoretical, and methodological imperatives—and shows how such a critique has long been active in the term’s rich history. Through an innovative historical investigation of the language of interest, Mathiowetz shows that appeals to interest are always politically contestable claims about “who” somebody is—and a provocation to action on behalf of that “who.” Appeals to Interest exposes the theoretical and political costs of our widespread denial of this crucial role of interest-talk in the constitution of political identity, in political theory and social science alike.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It has become a commonplace assumption in modern political debate that white and rural working- and middle-class citizens in the United States who have been rallied by Republicans in the “culture wars” to vote Republican have been voting “against their interests.” But what, exactly, are these “interests” that these voters are supposed to have been voting against? It reveals a lot about the role of the notion of interest in political debate today to realize that these “interests” are taken for granted to be the narrowly self-regarding, primarily economic “interests” of the individual. Exposing and contesting this view of interests, Dean Mathiowetz finds in the language of interest an already potent critique of neoliberal political, theoretical, and methodological imperatives—and shows how such a critique has long been active in the term’s rich history. Through an innovative historical investigation of the language of interest, Mathiowetz shows that appeals to interest are always politically contestable claims about “who” somebody is—and a provocation to action on behalf of that “who.” Appeals to Interest exposes the theoretical and political costs of our widespread denial of this crucial role of interest-talk in the constitution of political identity, in political theory and social science alike.

More books from Penn State University Press

Cover of the book Before the Revolution by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Reconstructing Rawls by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Medicine, Religion, and Magic in Early Stuart England by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Literary Translation in Russia by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Graphic Reproduction by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Portraiture and Politics in Revolutionary France by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Genius Envy by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book The Complete Plays of Jean Racine by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Seaweeds by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book The Profane, the Civil, and the Godly by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Image, Action, and Idea in Contemporary Jewish Art by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Understanding the Qurʾanic Miracle Stories in the Modern Age by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book Too Young to Run? by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book The Smile of Tragedy by Dean Mathiowetz
Cover of the book An Empire of Print by Dean Mathiowetz
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy