Trump and the death of the Image

Arjun Appadurai

Research output: Contribution to journalEditorialpeer-review

Abstract

We would be wrong to imagine that Trump belongs in the long tradition of American politicians who are deeply concerned with managing their images. The idea of the image as a central feature of American life has been a popular axiom of the last seven decades and has not been adequately rethought. Trump has successfully found a following that likes him unvarnished and unadorned, and thus he has no hesitation to reveal his most repellent moral and social qualities. This indifference to the image is anchored in a deeper indifference to sociality itself and signals both the death of the image and the evacuation of any socially-grounded morality from public life.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1-3
Number of pages3
JournalAnthropology Today
Volume37
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Anthropology

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