Contagion and the National Body

The Organism Metaphor in American Thought

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Contagion and the National Body by Gerald O'Brien, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gerald O'Brien ISBN: 9781351394086
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 9, 2018
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Gerald O'Brien
ISBN: 9781351394086
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 9, 2018
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Drawing on the work of George Lakoff, this book provides a detailed analysis of the organism metaphor, which draws an analogy between the national or social body and a physical body. With attention to the manner in which this metaphor conceives of various sub-groups as either beneficial or detrimental to the (social) body’s overall functioning, the author examines the use of this metaphor to view marginalized sub-populations as invasive or contagious entities that need to be treated in the same way as harmful bacteria or pathogens. Analyzing the organism metaphor as it was employed in the service of social injustice through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the United States, Contagion and the National Body focuses on the alarm eras of the restrictive immigration period (1890–1924), the agitation against Chinese and Japanese populations on the West Coast, the eugenic period’s targeting of feeble-minded persons and other "defectives," periods of anti-Semitism, the anti-Communist movements, and various forms of racial animosity against African-Americans.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Drawing on the work of George Lakoff, this book provides a detailed analysis of the organism metaphor, which draws an analogy between the national or social body and a physical body. With attention to the manner in which this metaphor conceives of various sub-groups as either beneficial or detrimental to the (social) body’s overall functioning, the author examines the use of this metaphor to view marginalized sub-populations as invasive or contagious entities that need to be treated in the same way as harmful bacteria or pathogens. Analyzing the organism metaphor as it was employed in the service of social injustice through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the United States, Contagion and the National Body focuses on the alarm eras of the restrictive immigration period (1890–1924), the agitation against Chinese and Japanese populations on the West Coast, the eugenic period’s targeting of feeble-minded persons and other "defectives," periods of anti-Semitism, the anti-Communist movements, and various forms of racial animosity against African-Americans.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Learning to Curse by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Bioenergy Production by Anaerobic Digestion by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Revival: Why is there no Socialism in the United States? (1976) by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book The Economies Of Central City Neighborhoods by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Empowering Our Military Conscience by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Nature and Liberty by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Systems Analysis and Design: Techniques, Methodologies, Approaches, and Architecture by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book The United States and Europe in the Twentieth Century by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Managing and Improving School Attendance and Behaviour by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Writers and Thinkers by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Comparing autocracies in the early Twenty-first Century by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Social Influences on Ethical Behavior in Organizations by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book A Collection of Documents on Spitzbergen and Greenland by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book Elizabeth Tyrwhit's Morning and Evening Prayers by Gerald O'Brien
Cover of the book The Social History of Health and Medicine in Colonial India by Gerald O'Brien
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy