ATS2836: Understanding Contemporary US Politics

# ATS2836: Understanding Contemporary US Politics Through Contentious Politics and Critical Empathy Approaches

Course Introduction

  • Instructor: Associate Professor Pete Lentini

  • Focus on key terms and concepts which include:

    • Democracy

    • Democratisation

    • De-democratisation

    • Authoritarianism

    • Contentious politics

    • Critical empathy

  • Goals:

    • Develop a foundational understanding of political terms for application throughout the semester.

    • Explore the blend of democratic and authoritarian characteristics in current US politics.

    • Appreciate the US history of democratisation and de-democratisation processes.

Approaches to Politics

  • Contentious Politics:

    • Examines political forms beyond traditional institutional governance.

    • Depends on interactions between competing political actors.

    • Influenced by regime types and political opportunity structures.

  • Importance of accountability in understanding democracy vs. authoritarianism.

  • Example: Trump's use of authoritarian tactics from an 'anti-revolutionary toolkit' as noted by Chenoweth (2018).

  • Current situation: Observations of de-democratisation in the US.

Critical Empathy in Political Context

  • MAGA Movement:

    • Policies and rhetoric often deemed harmful or abhorrent by broader society.

    • Critical empathy emphasizes understanding MAGA supporters' hardships while recognizing the potential harm of their advocated policies.

  • Christian Nationalism:

    • A divergent view on empathy, often perceived as blasphemous.

    • Conflict arises from progressive interpretations of empathy seen as manipulative.

  • Implications: Examination of US's resemblance to fascism.

Definitions of Politics

  • Political Definitions:

    1. Shorter Oxford English Dictionary: "The science and art of government; the science of dealing with the form, organisation and administration of a state…"

    2. Bernard Crick (2001): Politics as ruling divided societies by free discussion with undue violence.

    3. Harold Laswell (1936): Politics defined as "who gets what, when, how".

    4. David Easton (1979): Politics seen as "the authoritative allocation of value".

Carl Schmitt and The Political

  • Key Concept: Schmitt states the essence of politics is the distinction between friend and enemy.

  • Relevance: Schmitt’s ideas have influenced contemporary Christian nationalist discourse, raising concerns about the embrace of authoritarian politics in the US.

Contention in American Politics

  • Contentious Politics Dynamics:

    • Politics is messier, involving antagonism and compromise.

    • Cyclical Patterns: Increasing oppression leads to resistance, dissent prompts repression (Chenoweth 2018).

    • Tarrow and Tilly (2015) characterize contentious politics as interactions where actors make claims impacting others' interests.

  • Types of Contention:

    • Contained Contention: Occurs within existing regimes.

    • Transgressive Contention: Violates norms or boundaries.

Characteristics of Contentious Politics

  • Three Features:

    1. Contention: Claims bearing on others' interests.

    2. Collective Action: Coordinated efforts to advance shared interests.

    3. Politics: Involvement of governmental bodies and officials.

  • Governmental Control: Governments define rules around political contention and are vested with coercive means (armies, police).

Opportunity Structures in Contentious Politics

  • Definition: Structures that provide challengers with opportunities to advance their claims and also present threats.

  • Factors Influencing Opportunities:

    1. Multiplicity of power centers.

    2. Openness to new actors.

    3. Current political instability.

    4. Availability of influential allies.

    5. The extent to which the regime represses or facilitates claims.

Political Claims and Contentious Performances

  • Political actors have diverse political identities and develop standardized methods of making claims (repertoires).

  • Contentious Campaigns: Combinations of performances focused on specific policies that often dissolve upon their resolution.

  • Other actors (especially opponents) influence adjustments in performances and mobilizations.

Events and Episodes in Contentious Politics

  • Events: Distinct interactions among challengers, their opponents, and mediators.

  • Episodes: Series of continuous interactions forming coherent narratives in contentious politics.

  • Brokerage and Diffusion: New connections between actors and spreading forms of contention.

Forms of Democratisation

  • Democratisation Defined: Inclusive processes that increase participation, representational rights, and accountability in governance, while reducing state power in authoritarian contexts (Lentini 2007).

  • Oligarchy and De-Democratisation:

    • Oligarchy exemplifies extreme political and material inequalities which inhibit democracy.

    • Notably, while it limits democracy, it does not abolish it.

Current State of Democratisation in the US

  • Statistics: Major wealth disparity with implications on democracy, as exemplified by billionaires having disproportionate influence (Citizens United decision 2010).

    • E.g., Elon Musk's wealth eclipsing that of the bottom 52% of households.

  • Case Studies: Political behaviors that illustrate signs of oligarchy within recent administrations, particularly the Trump administration’s approach towards governance.

Critique of Empathy in Political Discourse

  • Definition of Empathy: Recognized as the ability to identify and share feelings with others (Fleckenstein, 2007).

  • Critical Empathy: A framework allowing acknowledgment of humanity in various populations while sustaining critical distance.

    • Toxic Empathy: A term coined (by Stuckey) suggesting co-opting genuine empathy for political agendas, thus distorting its essence.

    • Christian Nationalist Views: A contrasting viewpoint suggesting ‘untethered empathy’ undermines necessary moral judgments.

Fascism as a Political Concept

  • Definitions of Fascism:

    • Complex ideology characterized by ultranationalism, ethnocentrism, and the use of violence to restore community dignity (Lentini).

    • Defined as attempting to impose community superiority through state-sanctioned violence.

  • Present Observations: Analysis of the US political landscape in light of fascistic qualities, with specific ideologies gaining traction.

Conclusion

  • The US exhibits simultaneous characteristics of democratic and authoritarian governance, marked by accountability decline and intense political polarization.

  • Contentious politics and critical empathy provide crucial frameworks for analyzing contemporary US political dynamics and ideologies.

Questions for Consideration

  • Have Americans engaged with potential frameworks to combat tyranny as outlined by Snyder?

  • What is the public and scholarly response to variations in political ideologies, particularly in light of empathy's role?