James M. Jasper beschäftigt sich mit Kultur und Politik und konzentriert sich dabei auf die emotionale und soziale Dynamik von Protestbewegungen. Seine Arbeit untersucht, wie Emotionen und die Beziehungen zwischen Protestierenden und ihren Zielen politische Handlungen und gesellschaftlichen Wandel prägen. Jaspers Analyse bietet tiefe Einblicke in das komplexe Zusammenspiel zwischen individuellen Gefühlen und kollektivem Verhalten im politischen Bereich.
Heroes, villains, victims, and minions have been the building blocks of moral and political reputations throughout human history. In Public Characters, the authors look at visual images, music, and words to show the techniques by which these characters get constructed. They also trace the impact of these public characters in politics, including the 2016 triumph of Donald J. Trump through his ability to cast opponents as villains and minions.
Gains and Losses looks at the details of politics, where individuals make decisions, negotiate with allies and opponents, suffer trade-offs and struggle with dilemmas, and often take to the streets as part of a broad strategic effort. In entertaining detail, the book presents six important, recent cases from three continents.
Energy and the State in the United States, Sweden, and France
Why did nuclear energy policies in France, Sweden, and the United States diverge so significantly after the oil crisis of 1973 and 1974, despite their similarities at the time? James Jasper addresses this question by challenging the prevalent political explanations that focus solely on political and economic structures. He introduces a cultural and state-centered approach that considers structural factors alongside cultural meanings, individual biographies, and elite discretion. Jasper examines the period from the commercialization of light-water-reactor technology in the early 1960s to the present, detailing the post-1973 developments: France expanded its reactor construction, the U.S. canceled many reactor orders, and Sweden completed its planned nuclear plants but opted to phase out nuclear energy by 2010. This analysis is informed by one hundred interviews with managers, policymakers, and activists across the three nations. By offering a unique theoretical perspective and an in-depth look at nuclear policy over an extended historical period, this work enhances our understanding of the varied trajectories of nuclear energy in these countries. Originally published in 1990, this title is now available again through the Princeton Legacy Library, which aims to increase access to important scholarly works.