Please join the CLI for lunchtime event with Katherine J. Cramer (University of Wisconsin) to discuss her recent award-winning book, The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker, and its implications one year into the Trump presidency.
The event will be hosted by Professor Sanford C. Gordon (NYU Department of Politics and NYU Law).
Monday, February 5, 2018
12:30 – 2:00 PM
Vanderbilt Hall 214
New York University School of Law
40 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012
Please register here or copy and paste the following link into your browser: goo.gl/D6aEq4
From the The University of Chicago Press: “Since the election of Scott Walker, Wisconsin has been seen as ground zero for debates about the appropriate role of government in the wake of the Great Recession. In a time of rising inequality, Walker not only survived a bitterly contested recall that brought thousands of protesters to Capitol Square, he was subsequently reelected. How could this happen? How is it that the very people who stand to benefit from strong government services not only vote against the candidates who support those services but are vehemently against the very idea of big government?
With The Politics of Resentment, Katherine J. Cramer uncovers an oft-overlooked piece of the puzzle: rural political consciousness and the resentment of the “liberal elite.” Rural voters are distrustful that politicians will respect the distinct values of their communities and allocate a fair share of resources. What can look like disagreements about basic political principles are therefore actually rooted in something even more fundamental: who we are as people and how closely a candidate’s social identity matches our own. Using Scott Walker and Wisconsin’s prominent and protracted debate about the appropriate role of government, Cramer illuminates the contours of rural consciousness, showing how place-based identities profoundly influence how people understand politics, regardless of whether urban politicians and their supporters really do shortchange or look down on those living in the country.
The Politics of Resentment shows that rural resentment—no less than partisanship, race, or class—plays a major role in dividing America against itself.”
Lunch will be served.
For questions, or for requests regarding dietary restrictions, email Laura Creste at laura.creste@nyu.edu.