
It Wasn't So Long Ago That The White Working Class Occupied The Middle Of British And American Societies. But Today Members Of The Same Demographic, Feeling Silenced And Ignored By Mainstream Parties, Have Moved To The Political Margins. In The United States And The United Kingdom, Economic Disenfranchisement, Nativist Sentiments And Fear Of The Unknown Among This Group Have Even Inspired The Creation Of New Right-wing Parties And Resulted In A Remarkable Level Of Support For Fringe Political Candidates, Most Notably Donald Trump. Answers To The Question Of How To Rebuild Centrist Coalitions In Both The U.s. And U.k. Have Become Increasingly Elusive. How Did A Group Of People Synonymous With Middle Britain And Middle America Drift To The Ends Of The Political Spectrum? What Drives Their Emerging Radicalism? And What Could Possibly Lead A Group With Such Enduring Numerical Power To, In Many Instances, Consider Themselves A Minority In The Countries They Once Defined? In The New Minority, Justin Gest Speaks To People Living In Once Thriving Working Class Cities--youngstown, Ohio And Dagenham, England--to Arrive At A Nuanced Understanding Of Their Political Attitudes And Behaviors. In This Daring And Compelling Book, He Makes The Case That Tension Between The Vestiges Of White Working Class Power And Its Perceived Loss Have Produced The Unique Phenomenon Of White Working Class Radicalization.
How did the white working class in the United States and the United Kingdom transition from a central societal pillar to a demographic that perceives itself as a marginalized minority? Justin Gest, a professor of public policy, investigates the socio-economic factors driving this shift by analyzing the intersection of economic disenfranchisement, nativist sentiment, and political alienation. He argues that the tension between historical power and the perception of its loss has catalyzed a unique form of radicalization within these populations.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars and political analysts frequently cite this work as a significant contribution to understanding the psychological and economic drivers of modern populism. Readers often note the academic rigor of the author's fieldwork while appreciating the clarity with which he presents complex sociological trends.
Page Count:
272
Publication Date:
2016-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190632569
ISBN-13:
9780190632564
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