Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power in Contemporary American Politics
Hinda Mandell author Juliet Williams editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:17th Apr '17
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Examining how gender impacts political sex scandals in the United States, this book explains how political sex scandals contribute to the mistrust of government and identifies why these events have serious consequences for our political system. The increasing tabloidization of politics and focus on politicians involved in sex scandals is both problematic and important. When a major political sex scandal occurs, it occupies as much as 25 percent of all news coverage in the United States. Even if people may deny it, they enjoy "consuming" and talking about political sex scandals. Written by a former journalist who has frequently explored the intersections of politics, sex, and gender in the United States, Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power in Contemporary American Politics investigates how political sex scandals contribute to the mistrust of government and why these events have great significance in our frenzied media environment. The book makes use of comprehensive descriptive data (including statistics) to explain how political sex scandals are a representation of society's broader gender dynamics, conveying subtle messages about power and morality. It addresses the roles of men and women in political sex scandals over time, the increasing tabloidization of politics, and the often-overlooked consequences of sex scandals for the political system. Author Hinda Mandell also documents how scandals' multiple negative effects for the politicians themselves and for society include turning politics into a spectator sport, contributing to the mistrust of government, the questioning of politicians' competence and judgment as a group, and politicians' diminishing effectiveness in office.
Mandell offers a painstakingly researched, revealing, and amusing exploration of sex scandals in U.S. politics. . . . This makes for a highly detailed and comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of sex scandals, as well of the underlying realities of power relations among men and women in politics. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. * Choice *
Mandell’s analysis of what she calls the scandal of 'political sextracurricular activities' is extensive, in both time period and methodologies (textual analysis, online surveys, two different sets of interviews). The thread of gender woven into this project makes it particularly distinctive as well as significant, as Mandell examines political wives, women engaged in scandalous behavior with politicians, and the rare female politician involved in her own sex scandal. This multidimensional analysis is an important contribution to the conversation about political sex scandals, the media attention they garner, and their many potential consequences. * Joan L. Conners, Charles J. Potts Professor of Social Sciences, Randolph-Macon College, USA *
Mandell takes the complicated topic of political scandal and adds important new analysis and insight about gender. Scandals receive a considerable amount of media attention because they are sensational and titillating, but Mandell digs deeper to investigate their larger consequences. Beautifully written and powerfully argued, this is an important addition to the literature on scandal. * Alison Dagnes, Professor, Shippensburg University, USA *
Engaging and funny. Hinda Mandell weaves sex scandal stories into a twisted tapestry that shows us new dimensions of gender and power, new dimensions of political machination, and new dimensions of scandal as a political genre. At once juicy and erudite, this is the book to read on contemporary sex scandals. * Joshua Gamson, Professor of Sociology, University of San Francisco, USA *
ISBN: 9781440843273
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 595g
264 pages