The Chosen and The Choice: Race, Religion, and The 2012 US Presidential Campaign
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | From Theory to Practice 2012: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference On Anglophone Studies |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://conference.uaa.utb.cz/tp2012/FromTheoryToPractice2012.pdf |
| Field | Mass media, audiovision |
| Keywords | Barack Obama; Mitt Romney; United States; US Presidency; US Elections; Political Campaigns; America; Prophecy; Bible; Christianity; Providential History |
| Description | The 2012 presidential campaign, like many American debates, was partly a contest over ways of fitting America into "providential history" - the classical story of a "course of empire" and the biblical account of a "chosen people." This campaign in particular invited such analysis because both major candidates, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, came out of communities (Mormon and African American) that have cultivated their own distinctive versions of the providential story. Reviewing the campaign and its aftermath in providentialist terms, therefore, helps reveal ways of thinking that continue to have a large influence on U.S. politics and political language. |