[H-verkko] Turku, The Last Two Standing: Streamlining Bipartisan Issues

[agricola at utu.fi]

Agricolan tapahtumakalenteriin on lähetetty uusi ilmoitus:
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The Last Two Standing: Streamlining Bipartisan Issues

Turku, Assistentinkatu 7
9.9.2016 klo 10:30 – 9.9.2016 klo 16:15
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John Morton Center for North American Studies

Seminar:

"The Last Two Standing: Streamlining Bipartisan Issues"

 

Time: September 9, 2016 at 10:30-16:15               Place:
University of Turku, Publicum Building, Lecture Hall
MORNING SESSIONCHAIR: Dr. Benita Heiskanen                   

Dr. Albion Butters, Kone Foundation Researcher & Lecturer, Comparative
Religion, University of Turku 
"New Blood Demanding Change"The primaries took an unexpected turn, in part due
to new voters flocking to the polls. Across party lines in 2016, people are not
just calling for change, they are demanding it. Their numbers include so-called
Millennials (Berners) and “angry white guys” (for Trump), as well as a
racially diverse electorate. Overall, they exhibit passion for candidates who
will challenge the establishment. Yet a closer look not only reveals differences
on specific issues, but a profound ideological divide. This presentation
explores how new voters have vitalized these competing ideologies and how those
ideologies have in turn driven voter mobilization and engagement.


Ph.D. Candidate Nadia Nava Contreras, Department of Political and Economic
Studies, University of Helsinki

"Voto Latino"

According to statistics, Latinos are the largest voting minority in the U.S. The
Latino electorate has favored Democratic candidates at least since 1980, but the
escalating polarization of discourses and discussions on immigration has
dramatically changed the meaning of the 2016 election for Latinos, bringing
Democrats even closer. Faced with the challenge of electoral mobilization and
unity beyond divides, Latinos now find themselves with the potential for major
empowerment in the electoral context, with Latino Millennials playing an
important role within their communities and beyond.

 

Dr. Erik Hieta

"Money in Politics: Campaign Finance and the Business of Electing a President"

Money and its potentially corrupting influence cut to the heart of complaints
about elections. Opinion polls show that most Americans believe that
billionaires can buy elections, part of a general discontent with the role of
money in politics and the growing gap between rich and poor. Though money has
thus far played a huge role in the presidential race, it has done so in
unanticipated ways: donors are frustrated with Donald Trump’s attempt to
remake the GOP in his own image; though Hillary Clinton promises to reform
campaign financing rules if elected, she has questionable ties to Wall Street
corporations. 




Dr. Samira Saramo, Post-Doctoral Researcher, John Morton Center for North
American Studies, University of Turku

 "The Violent Race of 2016" 
Violence has emerged as a means of defining and defending positions in the 2016
U.S. Presidential Election. This presentation delves into the charged atmosphere
of the election to examine gun violence, the ISIS threat, and election-fueled
violence on the streets. Analyzing actual acts of violence, rhetorical violence,
and the “meta-violence” surrounding the election raises questions about the
meanings of “America” and what it means to be “American” in a nation
rife with racial, class, and ideological tensions. Considering both the blatant
violent provocations of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton’s
incitement of fear, anger, and violence reveals new U.S. power politic
strategies at work.  

AFTERNOON SESSION

CHAIR: Dr. Albion Butters


Ph.D. Candidate Oscar Winberg, Department of General History, Åbo Akademi
University"The New Normal? Insult Politics in the United States"   The 2016
presidential campaign has been called the “insult campaign,” with ad hominem
attacks becoming commonplace. Especially Donald Trump has made personal,
mocking, attacks on fellow Republicans, journalists, foreign leaders, political
opponents, celebrities, and members of the judiciary. The media has extensively
covered the insults, while at the same time lamenting the new turn of political
rhetoric. Using historical insight and contemporary resources, this presentation
will address whether the new insult politics embodied by Donald Trump represents
the new normal in U.S. politics. Dr. Outi Hakola, University Lecturer, North
American Studies, University of Helsinki "The Power of Political Comedy -
Caricatures of 'I Really, Really Want It' and 'Just the Best, Really'"Comedy has
the power to politically appeal to audiences. In the 2016 campaigns, Saturday
Night Live and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, for example, have drawn
caricatures from the candidates' statements, such as Hillary Clinton's "I
really, really want it" and Donald Trump's "Just the best, really." Comedians
have also loudly voiced their views for or against candidates and issues they
are dealing with. This presentation discusses the ways in which comedians use
humor as a social and discursive power, and how they have taken open and
passionate political positions in public, using their television shows for
political campaigning.


Ph.D. Candidate Pekka Kolehmainen, Department of Cultural History, University
of Turku

"Is this the Internet Election? Competing Electoral Narratives in Social Media"

During the 2016 electoral year, various social media sites have taken up
increasingly powerful roles in the dissemination and proliferation of competing
narratives about the candidates and the key issues of the election. This
presentation examines the changes that have taken place during the year in
social media narratives, with a focus on the shift from the primary season to
the general election, and the means by which the candidates and their affiliates
have sought to influence these narratives.

Dr. Benita Heiskanen, Director, John Morton Center for North American Studies,
University of Turku "Meme-ing as Political Participation"The Washington
Post recently characterized the 2016 presidential campaign as “the most-memed
election in U.S. history.” This presentation discusses meme-ing as a form of
visual political participation. The visual imagery of memes reveal the most
contested hot button issues during the election, also pointing to the ways in
which such imagery serves as a means of influencing opinion outside of official
political discourses. With examples from both the Republican and Democratic
campaigns, memes demonstrate the intersection of grassroots activism and
cyber-politics, enabling users to rapidly take a stand on and react to
developing political events, to provide alternative parallel discourses to
mainstream media viewpoints, and to explicitly influence voting practices.

Tiedustelut: Milja Mäkelä (miinma[at]utu.fi), puhelin +358-2-333 9297
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