The Fall of Public Man

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urn:lcp:fallofpublicman000senn:epub:eef7f9c1-b962-44ec-8dfc-1b9e58ee166e Foldoutcount 0 Identifier fallofpublicman000senn Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t23b78w0b Isbn 0394724208 Lccn 77004240 Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.20 Ocr_module_version 0.0.17 Openlibrary OL4538104M Openlibrary_edition Goffman E., 1971, Les Relations en public, 2, La mise en scène de la vie quotidienne, trad. de l’anglais (États-Unis) par A. Kihm, Paris, Éd. De Minuit, 1973. Are we now so self-absorbed that we take little interest in the world beyond our own lives? Or has public life left no place for individuals to participate? This is a great work of sociology, demonstrating enormous scholarship and erudition. It is unusual for a modern work of sociology to be so discursive- the book ranges from discussions of theatre, architecture, literature, philosophy, psychology, and child development, amongst others. This makes it a difficult book to understand, and one that benefits from repeat reading. However, the ideas under discussion make such time well spent. Sennett is an engaging writer, although in the earlier sections of the book, he perhaps could have defined the terms he uses more clearly. However, this is a quibble.

Is Sennett’s concoction merely a homily for the New Left? Well, yes and no. Sennett is saying that everyone’s politics—not just the New Left’s—is a politics of the private man, one that focuses on personalities, not issues. Though this may be true of New Left politics, it is certainly not true of the politics of most Americans; during the past twenty years Americans have consistently voted according to issues, not personalities. Though obviously a candidate’s personality plays some part in the way voters respond to him, Lyndon Johnson, a man who was widely regarded as an unscrupulous wheeler-dealer, handily defeated Barry Goldwater in 1964; and in 1972 Richard Nixon, a man whom no one liked, scored a landslide victory over George McGovern. Both Goldwater and McGovern radiated honesty and decency, but most voters chose Johnson and Nixon; issues won these elections, not personalities. Comme le dit D. Trump, dans un entretien avec le Time en mars 2017 : « Je suppose que je ne me débr (...)

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Bonhomme J., 2012, « The Dangers of Anonymity: Witchcraft, Rumor, and Modernity in Africa », HAU. Journal of Ethnographic Theory , 2 (2), pp. 205-233. Accès : https://doi.org/10.14318/hau2.2.012 . Book Genre: Anthropology, Culture, ers, History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, rs, Social Science, Society, Sociology, Theory Kaufmann L., Gonzalez P., 2019, « Ces événements qui nous affectent », pp. 270-302, in : Amiotte-Suchet L., Salzbrunn M., dirs, L’Événement (im)prévisible. Mobilisations politiques et dynamiques religieuses , Paris, Beauchesne. Carroll L., 1871, Alice. De l’autre côté du miroir, trad. de l’anglais par E. Riot, Paris, Librio, 2017.

A provocative book ... Sennett brings us to an undeniably recognizable place, the contemporary urban scene' Dayan D., 2000, « Télévision, le presque-public », Réseaux. Communication, technologie, société, 100, pp. 429-456. Pour une analyse de la figure prétendument authentique de D. Trump comme processus de « dé-figurati (...)

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Perelman C., Olbrechts-Tyteca L., 1958, Traité de l’argumentation. La nouvelle rhétorique, Bruxelles, Éd. L’Université de Bruxelles, 1976. He discusses the complexity and arbitrary nature of signifying acts and displays from contemporary and Victorian times, and how these may lead to neuroses in so many members of society who may attempt to live up to those codes. To say nothing of the damage to those who don't know, or understand, the code by which others are making these judgments. The Hidden Injuries Of Class still makes fascinating reading, largely because of its sensitive and subtle exploration of working-class lives. It dissects the ways in which doctrines of equality may work against most people in the modern world; with inherited social distinctions now apparently erased, "social difference can now appear as a question of character, of moral resolve, will and competence". It is an argument which has as much resonance in the age of so-called depressed affluence as it had 30 years ago. Piette A., 2009, L’Acte d’exister. Une phénoménographie de la présence, Marchienne-au-Pont, Socrate Éd. Promarex. Le plus bel exemple du pouvoir comme re-présentation est sans doute celui du « roi sans visage » do (...)

Castel R., 2010, « Individu par excès, individu par défaut », pp. 293-305, in : Le Bart C., Corcuff P., Singly F. de, dirs, L’Individu aujourd’hui : Débats sociologiques et contrepoints philosophiques, Rennes, Presses universitaires de Rennes. Accès : https://doi.org/10.4000/books.pur.13657 . Comme le dit D. Trump, dans un entretien avec le Time en mars 2017 : « Je suppose que je ne me débrouille pas si mal ; la preuve ? je suis le Président et vous ne l’êtes pas » (« I guess I can’t be doing so badly, because I’m president, and you’re not. You know ») . Seabright P., 2005, The Company of Strangers. A Natural History of Economic Life , Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2010. urn:oclc:878524934 Republisher_date 20120901075410 Republisher_operator [email protected] Scandate 20120828181245 Scanner scribe12.shenzhen.archive.org Scanningcenter shenzhen Source

I have the most loyal people. I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and (...) What has emerged in the last hundred years, as communities of collective *personality* have begun to form, is that the shared imagery becomes a deterrent to shared action. Just as personality itself has become an antisocial idea, collective personality becomes group identity in society hostile to, difficult to translate into, group activity. Community has become a phenomenon of collective being rather than collective action, save in one way. The only transaction for the group to engage in is that of purification, of rejection and chastisement of those who are not "like" others. Since the symbolic materials usable in forming collective personality are unstable, communal purification is unending, a continual quest after the loyal American, the authentic Aryan, the "genuine" revolutionary. The logic of collective personality is the purge; its enemy, all acts of alliance, cooperation, or United Front. Broadly stated, when people today seek to have full and open emotional relations with each other, they succeed only in wounding each other. This is the logical consequence of the destructive gemeinschaft which arose when personality made its appearance in society." Simmel G., 1894, « Le problème de la sociologie », Revue de métaphysique et de morale, 2 (5), pp. 497-504.

Chiefly known for his elegant and scholarly writing, Sennett has produced a dozen books, including three novels, since the late 60s, mostly on aspects of the urban experience and the interconnection between authority, modernism and public life. His knowledge spans the disciplines of architecture, design, music, art, literature, history, and political and economic theory, but he adds to all that a rare anthropological hunger for the details of human experience. One of his apparent paradoxes is that while he so fiercely argues for a more disciplined form of public life over any therapeutic-style navel-gazing, he possesses a rare genius for getting into other people's heads and hearts. However, Sennett also points out deeper problems implicit in this way of thinking. In particular, he describes how the intimate society tends towards de-politicization- if 'impersonal forces' are not emotionally gratifying, then they are not considered important in the way personal things are. A person may not wish to conceive of the position they occupy in a social class hierarchy because that would undermine their 'personality'. This prevents them from acting in concert with others to improve their conditions. A challenging book, mostly in the sense that it leads me to reframe a number of questions I've been asking (and thus many of the answers I've been proposing) lately. It might very well change the way I live my life.

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In The Fall of Public Man, Sennett sets out his critique of the 'intimate society', in which, as he describes it, what is good is defined as personal, and the bad as impersonal. In this schema, 'warmth' is praised over things that are 'cold' or 'aloof'. Ways of thinking about society are transformed into psychological terms- a good political leader is one who is 'principled' or 'authentic'. As Sennett points out, the rationality of thinking about politics in this way is unclear, as those terms rely upon assessing an individual's character, which is not only almost impossible for people who don't know them personally, but also irrelevant to whether the political leader can achieve something for the public that puts them in power. Sennett R., 1979, Les Tyrannies de l’intimité, trad. de l’anglais (États-Unis) de The Fall of the public man par A. Berman et R. Folkman, Paris, Éd. Le Seuil.