Corruption and Illiberal Politics in the Trump Era

Description

This book explores the nexus of corruption, late capitalism, and illiberal politics in the Trump era. Through deep, contextualized analysis and careful critique, it offers valuable perspectives on how corruption is defined and understood in the current historical moment. The book asks: Is today's corruption something new, or is it a continuation of prior patterns of illiberalism? Chapters in this collection consider how corruption is practiced, mobilized, or invoked in a range of cases, each of which is embedded within larger concerns about what citizenship, social belonging, honesty, and justice mean in the United States today. The authors examine a constellation of unscrupulous actors and questionable actions, with topics ranging from sex scandals and shady real estate deals to the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several essays directly address the increasingly violent rhetoric and the deliberately anti-democratic policies that have flourished during the Trump era. The book draws on anthropological insights and comparative analysis to place the policies and practices of Trump and his supporters in a wider global context. Corruption and Illiberal Politics in the Trump Era will be of great interest to readers from anthropology, sociology, political science, discourse studies, media studies, linguistics, and American studies. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Contributors Acknowledgments Editors’ Introduction to the Book Editors’ Introduction: Anthropological Meditations: Illiberal Politics and Corruption in the Trump Era PART I: Corruption as the Misappropriation of Societal Values 1 Sycophantic Politics: Rule Breaking, Entitlement, and White-Collar Crime in Trump’s Or bit 2 On Calling Donald Trump “Corru pt” 3 Corruption as the Through Line: Overlooked Establishment Corruption, Why Trumpism is No Accident, and Why Corruption Has No End PART II: Deliberate Cruelty 4 Descending from Sadism to Trumpism: Jeffrey Epstein and the Befouling of U.S. Politics 5 Corruption against Humanity: Leveraging the Pandemic in Trump’s Re-election Campaign 6 The Illiberality of Trump’s Lawless Biopolitical Immigration Actions PART III: Explaining Trumpism Abroad 7 Why is Donald Trump So Popular in Southeastern Nigeria and What Can We Learn From It? Undermining Truth and Enabling Corruption 8 “Tropical Trump”: Illiberal Politics and the Digital Life of (Anti)Corruption in Brazil 9 Manipulative Statecraft: The Disinformation Campaigns and Presidential Powers of Trump and Putin PART IV: The Language, Semiotics, and Grammars of Trump Power 10 “Lock Her Up!”: A Biography of a Trump-Era Chant and the Banality of Misogyny 11 Slogans of White Supremacy: Imagined Minority Corruption in Trump-Era Politics 12 Digital Hatred in Corruption’s Defense: The Role of the “Bread Bakers” in 4chan’s “President Trump General” Threads PART V: Trump-Era Lack of Concern for Collective Well-Being 13 Trump as Benevolent/Authoritarian Boss 14 Trump’s Corruption and the Virus of Polarization: Race, Class, and the Reign of the Wealthy 15 Hailing All Neoliberals: Inaction, Corruption, and the Trumpist Response to COVID-19 Index