Session Abstract
In the coal studded mountains of east Kentucky, in the whitist and second poorer congressional district in the nation, residents used to be New Deal Democrats. But in 2000, 80% voted Republican. In this lecture, we ask why. Part of the answer lies outside the region—cheaper and preferable alternatives to coal and automation, leading to loss. Part of the answer lies in a local “pride paradox” that shifts loss to shame. A large part lies in a political leader’s charismatic anti-shame rituals which shift shame to blame of non-market forces – such as immigration, the “deep state,” and more.
Speaker Bio
Arlie Russell Hochschild is the author of many groundbreaking books, including The Second Shift, The Managed Heart, and The Time Bind as well as Strangers in Their Own Land, which became an instant bestseller and was a finalist for a National Book Award, and Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right. Hochschild is professor emerita of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in Berkeley with her husband, the writer Adam Hochschild.