Bullock publishes paper on ‘Anger and Identity in the Divided States of America’

Brad Bullock

Bradley Bullock, Randolph’s Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology, recently published “Anger and Identity in the Divided States of America” in Anglistica AION: An Interdisciplinary Journal.

The paper appears in a special issue of the journal, Living in the Age of Anger: Representing ‘Negative Solidarities’ in Contemporary Global Culture, focusing on Pankaj Mishra’s 2017 book Age of Anger: A History of the Present.

In his article, Bullock uses Mishra’s framework and themes, which provide a paradigm for making sense of the current global rise of authoritarian populist movements that sanction violence and social unrest, to illuminate the 2020 United States presidential election and its aftermath.

“When the special issue surrounding Punkaj Mishra’s influential book was announced, I immediately thought about how it helps explain the social evolution of our political system in the U.S.—the primacy of divisiveness and cultural identity,” Bullock said. “Beyond putting our current social and political moment into a larger context, I attempt to offer some ways forward. For example, purposely engaging in respectful conversations with people who identify with ‘the other side’ may be seen as a critical form of social activism.”

The special issues can be found at http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/anglistica-aion/article/view/9798.