Political catchphrases and contemporary history : a critique of new normals / Suman Gupta

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gupta, Suman, author.

Series:

Oxford Academic

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political culture.

History of contemporary events.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (183 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2022

Summary:

A historical account of the period 2001-2020 is presented by focusing on the shifting connotations of certain political catchphrases and words. These allow for a linked-up narrative covering areas such as politics and policy, business and investing, austerity and inequality, identity, climate change, crowd protests, flexible working, and online education. Key junctures are 9/11, the 2002 dot-com crash and the 2007-2008 financial crisis, the Occupy movements of 2011-2012, China's economic policy from 2014 onwards, and the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. Half the book is devoted to the unusually pervasive usage of the catchphrase 'new normal'. Chapters are also given to 'we are the 99%' and the catchwords 'austerity' and 'resilience'. Case studies of these catchphrases and words occupy much of the book. The final chapter makes conceptual inferences and proposes both a theory of political catchphrases and a distinctive approach to contemporary history. The source materials are predominantly from the UK and USA, but refer, naturally, to issues of global moment. The book would be of particular interest to students and researchers in politics and policy studies, contemporary social history, cultural studies and sociology, discourse analysis, and media studies. While following an academic format, it is written in an accessible style and would appeal to all who are alive to the momentous developments that are unfolding at present.

Contents:

1 Introduction

2 'New Normal', 2001-2019

3 'New Normal', 2020

4 The Concept of Normality

5 Policy Catchwords

6 Anti-Establishment Catchphrases

7 Conclusion

Other Format:

Print version: Gupta, Suman Political Catchphrases and Contemporary History

ISBN:

0-19-267856-6

0-19-195442-X

0-19-267857-4

OCLC:

1336402979