Crowds in American Culture, Society and Politics
A Psychosocial Semiotic Analysis
Arthur Asa Berger
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Title Details
- ISBN: 9781839988608
- May 2023
- Pages: 96
- Imprint: Anthem Press
This book is about the role of crowds in American society, culture, and politics. It builds on Gustave Le Bon’s The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind (published in English in 1895 and thus in the public domain) and describes in detail Sigmund Freud’s 1921 book on group psychology, providing important insights into the nature of crowds.
The book deals with some important aspects of American society, politics, and culture. It seeks to answer questions such as this: What do Trump’s followers (his crowds) see in him and why did so many people become insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, and attack the Capitol in an effort to prevent the counting of the electoral votes leading to the election of Joe Biden? It also considers crowds and cults and the role of crowds in Covid-19 and vaccine hesitancy, and opposition to vaccinations in the United States and elsewhere.
Arthur Asa Berger is Professor Emeritus of Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts at San Francisco State University.
1. Introduction; 2. The Crowd; 3. Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego; 4. Crowds and Cults; 5. The Semiotics of Crowds; 6. Crowds and American National Character; 7. Crowds and the January 6, 2021 Insurrection; 8. Crowds and Covid; 9. Coda; Index
Arthur Asa Berger presents an excellent discussion of Le Bon’s classic The Crowd that reveals the relevance of the book for the reader today. Through his engaging writing style, Berger manages to bring Le Bon’s arguments to life and to provide the reader with tools to analyze “crowds.”—Dirk vom Lehn, Professor of Organisationand Practice, King’s College London, UK.
“Crowds in American Culture, Society and Politics: A Psychosocial Semiotic Analysis” by Professor Emeritus Arthur Berger builds on Le Bon’s classic, The Crowd, to evaluate the role of crowds in American culture, society, and politics. Professor Berger offers a detailed description of Le Bon’s book along with material on Freud’s book on group psychology, crowds and cults, the semiotics of crowds, American national character and crowds, the 1/6 attack on the Capitol, and crowds and COVID-19—Midwest Book Review
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