Monday, February 23rd, Ashleigh Campi will present at the American Politics Workshop. Her talk is titled “Renegotiating Norms, Reforming Social Power: The Mobilization of Everyday Attachments in Evangelical Pro-Family Discourse.” Please find the paper here and the abstract below.
Abstract
The strength of the American family is at the center of a new ideological constellation of US conservative politics that emerged in the late 1970s and remains in force today. The growth of evangelical Christianity, and the re-entry of US evangelicals to the forefront of the political scene during this period propelled the mobilization of concerns over the family. This chapter focuses on the discourses of the networks of non-profits through which the evangelical subculture enters into politics, focusing on the subculture’s most enduring and influential group, Focus on the Family. Analyzing radio broadcasts, online organizational literature, and newsletters from Focus and its sister organizations, I attempt to show how everyday norms of gender, work, and caregiving are mobilized politically. Foregrounding subcultural processes of political consciousness formation, I challenge Judith Butler’s influential theorization of the relationship between normativity and social power as ‘passionate attachment.’ This paper develops an alternative, psychoanalytically informed account of social norms through a reading of evangelical family discourses. Interpreting quotidian self-help and inspirational programming, phone-line counseling services, and multi-media guides for mentoring and family support provided by Focus ministries, I show that that norms can be reproduced through relational strategies and self-reflective practices. The picture of normative attachment derived from this reading informs my account of political consciousness formation.
WHO: Ashleigh Campi, PhD Candidate, Political Science – University of Chicago
WHEN: February 23rd at Noon
WHERE: Pick Lounge (1st Floor)
We look forward to seeing everyone this Monday Feb. 23rd for Ashleigh Campi!
**************************************************
Papers will be circulated in advance through our email list. To join the workshop email list visit: https://lists.uchicago.edu/web/subscribe/americanpolitics
If you have any questions, please contact the workshop coordinators Allen L. Linton II (alinton@uchicago.edu) and Roberto Carlos (robertfcarlos@uchicago.edu).
**************************************************
