Overview

Using George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four as a guide for interpreting the role of the American state in the twenty-first century – paying particular attention to how the government responded to the life and death issues of terrorism, COVID-19, and climate change – this book presents eye-opening and compelling documentary evidence that suggests Orwellian policies have already been implemented by Republicans and Democrats. A Sociological Analysis of Incipient Totalitarianism in the United States advances a groundbreaking sociological explanation for how totalitarian rule is embraced by the public when freedom, equality, and justice are compromised, offering a sociological explanation of how totalitarian rule is operationalized from the macro level to the micro level, using concepts associated with Marx (ruling ideas), Mead (generalized other) and Berger and Luckmann (recipe knowledge) which are especially key to understanding the process. Finally, the book suggests policies that could halt and reverse the progression of totalitarianism in the United States. Scholarly and yet readily accessible to a general readership, this book showcases the sociological importance and enduring influence of Orwell – working as a supplement to Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and making a meaningful contribution to the public discourse by challenging and informing students and the public about the very real fears of creeping totalitarianism in the United States.

Full Product Details

9781032850085

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""This book is a valiant attempt to provide an even-handed account of the current forms of political control of discourse and information – forms familiar from Orwell, but which have re-emerged in the face of political polarization."" Stephen Turner, Distinguished University Professor, University of South Florida ""We are certainly living in an Orwellian moment. The book has the potential to make an important contribution to understanding this political movement and may even work to protect democracy."" Anna M. Bounds, Associate Professor of Sociology, Queens College ""This book makes an important contribution to the subject. Disinformation and the possibility of America becoming autocratic is very urgent. It speaks decidedly to the Orwellian moment."" Joseph Scimecca, Professor of Sociology, George Mason University"

Author Information

Brendan Maguire is a Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Western Illinois University. He is the co-author of Introduction to Criminology (1999), and he has published numerous articles in Sociological Focus, The Social Science Journal, and the Journal of Applied Sociology.

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