We have a place in a long story: Empowered narratives and the construction of communities: The case of US presidential debates.

Date Published:

2009/07//

Abstract:

The article discusses the relevance of narrative theory to the study of politics. It claims that the structure of narratives creates a sense of continuity, which is central to the construction of community. Following this claim, the article demonstrates the potential value of combining the study of political narratives with a study of political actions of empowering those who construct them. It presents a study of the closing statements of US presidential debates as a source of narratives related by politicians, and voting records as an indicator of the power given by the people to those politicians. This study explores the correlation between narrative structure as a textual means of constructing continuity and the power given, by the public, to politicians who produce the narratives. It shows that this correlation tends to be higher in counties located in the eastern US and in counties that tend to be more Republican. This finding, the article suggests, indicates the establishment of different Interpretive Communities in the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]Copyright of Narrative Inquiry is the property of John Benjamins Publishing Co. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Notes:

Accession Number: 46770758; Shenhav, Shaul R. 1; Email Address: Shaul.Shenhav@huji.ac.il; Affiliations: 1: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Issue Info: 2009, Vol. 19 Issue 2, p199; Thesaurus Term: NARRATIVES; Thesaurus Term: POLITICAL science; Thesaurus Term: POLITICIANS; Subject Term: ELECTIONS; Subject: UNITED States; Author-Supplied Keyword: interpretive communities; Author-Supplied Keyword: political discourse; Author-Supplied Keyword: political narratives; Author-Supplied Keyword: US presidential debates; Author-Supplied Keyword: voting behavior; Number of Pages: 20p; Illustrations: 2 Charts, 1 Map; Document Type: Article

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