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Foucauldian Micropolitics and the Evolution of Party Polarization: Diverging Discourses in America's Two-Party System

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dc.contributor.authorSchoonover, Kyle Michaelen
dc.contributor.committeechairGoedert, Nicholasen
dc.contributor.committeememberNelson, Scott G.en
dc.contributor.committeememberLuke, Timothy W.en
dc.contributor.departmentPolitical Scienceen
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-09T08:00:51Zen
dc.date.available2020-06-09T08:00:51Zen
dc.date.issued2020-06-08en
dc.description.abstractMuch attention has been paid to the growing level of polarization at both the party level and within the American public, particularly since the late 1970's. Many scholars will either argue that elite polarization is representative of pre-existing, strongly felt political beliefs in the electorate, or that voters act on the basis of the elite cues they observe in politicians. Scholarship has been lacking, however, a microlevel analysis of the polarization of elite discourse, its motivations, and its effects on the American voter. This study quantifies the divergence in party discourse on particular issues through an analysis of published platforms and presidential candidate convention speeches. By employing Foucauldian theories of micropolitics and biopower, a qualitative case study, critical discourse analyses, and ANES polling data, this study finds that not only have the parties been deploying drastically diverging discourses on issues of biopolitical administration, but this also tends to engender political saliency on issues in which voters were not significantly concerned. There are certainly insidious implications for a representative system of government when parties utilize discourse to manufacture political opinions for their own self-interest. The data herein show that both parties have been guilty of such mobilization tactics within the last forty years.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralEven the most casual observer of the American political system will note the adversarial and polarized relationship between Republicans and Democrats. Rather than focusing on the general differences between the two parties, this project looks at how the language and dialogue of political elites affects the average American voter. What I found is that, as the two parties discussed certain issues more frequently and in distinct ways, these issues became increasingly important to the American electorate. In other words, politicians tell voters which issues are important to them through their choice of rhetoric. This is quite different than common assumptions of democratic societies where legislators merely represent the interests of their constituents, rather than manufacture them.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Artsen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:25911en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/98784en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectMichel Foucaulten
dc.subjectPolarizationen
dc.subjectDiscourseen
dc.subjectBiopoliticsen
dc.subjectTruthen
dc.subjectPoweren
dc.titleFoucauldian Micropolitics and the Evolution of Party Polarization: Diverging Discourses in America's Two-Party Systemen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplinePolitical Scienceen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Artsen

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