CART: 0 item(s) $0.00Making Sense of Political Ideology: The Power of Language in Democracy
Series: Communication, Media, and Politics
| By Bernard L. Brock, Mark E. Huglen, James F. Klumpp, and Sharon Howell |
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Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. | |||||||||||||||||
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"Making Sense of Political Ideology would be a useful addition to libraries for undergraduate use. The style is accessible and the authors are strong on description and analysis."— Political Studies Review
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Political positions in the United States today are ideologically chaotic, and there are significant prices to pay for that chaos. The nation has not reached a crisis yet in her modern political gridlock, but predicting the time when the current generation will face the difficulties of earlier times of crisis such as the Civil War, the Great Depression, or World War II is a difficult task. When that time comes, leaders who can communicate effectively to foster understanding and political unity—and who can respond to a crisis with skilled direction—will be a vital concern.
Making Sense of Political Ideology explores the erosion of ties among ideology, language, and political action. Analyzing political language strategies, it shows how to dissect language so we can better understand a speaker's ideology. The authors define four political positions—radical, liberal, conservative, reactionary—and apply their techniques to contemporary issues such as the war on terrorism. They emphasize the dangers of staying trapped in political gridlock with no consensus for governmental direction and propose that the ability to identify and bridge positions can help political communicators toward constructing coalitions and building support for political action.
--A brief and accessible introduction to the language of political ideology.
--Defines the reactionary, conservative, liberal, and radical political positions.
--Describes language choices and attitudes toward change that are appropriate to each position.
--Views language as inherently value laden rather than neutral.
--Draws on the connections between language and motivation found in the work of Kenneth Burke.
--Suggests how understanding the ideology can help foster constructive political communication and action.
About the Authors
Bernard L. Brock is professor emeritus at Wayne State University and author of several books on rhetorical analysis and Burkean theory. Mark E. Huglen is assistant professor of communication at the University of Minnesota at Crookston, and author of several books on rhetorical theory. James F. Klumpp is professor of communication at the University of Maryland. Sharon Howell is chair of the Department of Communication at Oakland University.