When Bad Things Happen to Privileged People
- 256 Seiten
- 9 Lesestunden
This thought-provoking examination delves into crisis politics and their implications for power and marginalization in the United States. The language of crisis permeates contemporary American politics, evident in discussions surrounding the climate, opioid, and Coronavirus crises. However, many serious issues are not labeled as crises. This raises questions about why certain problems are designated as crises while others are overlooked and what the term has come to signify. Dara Z. Strolovitch critically analyzes the political vernacular of crisis, tracing its evolution through systematic analyses of its use by political elites and outsiders. She reveals that the concept of crisis is itself a political operation. Racial justice activists initially innovated the crisis language to reframe racism from a perceived natural state to a policy issue that could be addressed. Subsequently, dominant political actors appropriated this language to leverage state power, often exacerbating inequality and injustice rather than alleviating it. Strolovitch's important work highlights that understanding crisis politics is essential for comprehending the dynamics of racial, gender, and class inequalities in the early twenty-first century.
