The performance of politics : Obama's victory and the democratic struggle for power /
Alexander, Jeffrey C.1947-,author
New York ; Oxford : Oxford University Press,
2010.
Jeffrey Alexander, a preeminent figure in social theory, offers here a new way of looking at democratic struggles for political power, discussing what happened, and why, during Barack Obama's remarkable run for president. Illustrated with vivid examples drawn from a range of media coverage, participant observation at a Camp Obama, and interviews with leading political journalists, Alexander argues that images, emotion, and performance are the central features of the battle for power. Winning depends on creating images so that candidates can become heroes. Demography, strategy, money, and issue
Description based upon print version of record.
Includes bibliographical references and index
Contents; Acknowledgments; Preface; Prologue; Part I: Power, Performance, and Representation; CHAPTER ONE: Civil Sphere and Public Drama; CHAPTER TWO: Becoming a Collective Representation; CHAPTER THREE: Spirit of the Ground Game; Part II: Heroes, Binaries, and Boundaries; CHAPTER FOUR: Imagining Heroes; CHAPTER FIVE: Working the Binaries; CHAPTER SIX: Walking the Boundaries; Part III: Victory and Defeat; CHAPTER SEVEN: Celebrity Metaphor; CHAPTER EIGHT: Palin Effect; CHAPTER NINE: Financial Crisis; Epilogue; Note on Concept and Method; Appendix; Notes; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K
LM; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; Y
Jeffrey Alexander, a preeminent figure in social theory, offers here a new way of looking at democratic struggles for political power, discussing what happened, and why, during Barack Obama's remarkable run for president. Illustrated with vivid examples drawn from a range of media coverage, participant observation at a Camp Obama, and interviews with leading political journalists, Alexander argues that images, emotion, and performance are the central features of the battle for power. Winning depends on creating images so that candidates can become heroes. Demography, strategy, money, and issue
Description based on print version record.
Obama, Barack.
Presidents
Performance art