lecture II

Question 1

what are politics? (OED)

Answer 1

the assumption or principles relating to or underlying any activity, theory, or attitude esp. when concerned with questions of power and status in a society

-> usually not a choice/without intention

Question 2

what are politics?

Answer 2

public life and affairs involving matters of authority and government.

In later use esp: this sphere viewed as a profession
-> deliberate choice

Question 3

all interpretation is an exercise of power

Answer 3

• we are deciding what a text means
• this interpretation may be at odds with others
• cultural influence generates (political) power

Question 4

context: presentism

Answer 4

interpretive position that a text should primarily be interpreted as what it would mean today

Question 5

context: history

Answer 5

interpretive position that a text should primarily be interpreted using cultural elements relevant to the text’s own historical moment

Question 6

cancel culture

Answer 6

primarily online movement linked to other political movements such as MeToo and BLM
- sometimes aimed at brands or individuals
- attempt to deny platform/financial gain
- misread/misused as denying voice
- itself a form of political power

Question 7

purity spiral

Answer 7

in many political movements, rigorous adherence to correctness can spiral:

1. initial purge of the ‘old mentality’
2. increasing emphasis on ideological purity
3. explicit, sharper reframing of ideology
4. erasure of pragmatic boundaries
5. descent into arbitrary (symbolic) violence