Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Using ethnographic data from New Orleans, LA, this paper suggests that historic preservation is a social movement concerned with the rights of an entity viewed as unable to protect itself (the historic built environment) and examines the emotional experiences of both participants and opponents to facilitate further understanding of the movement It discusses (1) the place of emotions within the experiences of preservation practitioners (those enacting the beliefs of the preservation movement as “committed” preservationist, as well as those using who are more “conflicted” about the movement) (2) the use of emotions by preservation opponents (anti-preservationists) to stigmatize the movement, and (3) the ambivalence of both committed and conflicted preservationists toward the movement as a means to distance themselves from the stigma associated with it.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: Passion for specific sociopolitical and religious ideologies would appear to energize and direct people’s political behavior yet remains an understudied phenomenon. We defined ideological passion as a strong commitment to a loved, valued, and self-defining sociopolitical or religious ideology in which people invest considerable time and energy. Ideological passion was proposed to operate in two distinct modes: harmonious and obsessive. In both cases, the person feels that the ideology is part of her/his identity. In the case of HP, the cherished ideology coheres with other aspects of the person’s life and promotes self-actualization. In the case of OP, the cherished ideology excites and directs the person in uncontrollable ways. In Study 1, HP for a nationalist ideology—the ideal of a sovereign state of Quebec—was found to predict the endorsement of mainstream activism; OP predicted radical activism. Study 2 replicated these findings in the context of passion for a religious ideology and incorporated the role of identity threat into the analysis. In the absence of a salient threat to one’s religious identity, HP for Islam predicted advocating intergroup reconciliation and condemning revenge. When the identity threat was made salient, however, HP was associated with disengagement from public dialogue. OP for Islam, in contrast, predicted violent vengefulness whether or not the identity threat was made situationally salient. The ongoing perception of threat to one’s identity would appear characteristic of obsessive—not harmonious—passion for an ideology and may account for the relationship between this type of passion and radicalism.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The "Americanization"(?) of Literary Tastes in Poland

Publication Type: Invited Paper
Abstract: From their inception, in the early 20th century, America’s colleges and universities have grappled with issue of limits on professorial free speech, both inside and outside the classroom. Of particular concern was (and still is) how to delineate between ‘appropriate’ (i.e. educational) discourse and that discourse that advocates a particular political agenda. From public lectures on the mistreatment of labor during the industrial revolution to criticisms of the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq, the professoriate has a long history of critiquing perceived injustices and it is often the case that personal conviction is the basis for those critiques. At the heart of the matter lies the question, is the unveiling of personal convictions by the professoriate conducive to higher education; is it education or indoctrination?

This paper analyzes the arguments put forth by those groups and individuals intent on stripping members of the professoriate of their right to voice their convictions in public settings. The goal of this paper is to synthesize the arguments made by those groups and individuals as they have developed over the 100+ year history of American, secular higher education. As such, this is a paper in three parts. First, I analyze the foundational arguments against conviction based professorial discourse. Specifically, I highlight those arguments made at the turn of the 20th century as American higher education came into its own. Second, I trace the development of those arguments through the McCarthy era into the 1960s and the Viet Nam War era. The third, and final, section analyzes contemporary arguments against the articulation of conviction on the part of the professoriate. The foundational argument of this paper is that the relationship between conviction and higher education has long been problematic and the result of that troubled relationship has done much to harm students, the professoriate, and the educational process.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper discusses certain aspects of political education as these come to light in Plato's Republic and Symposium. These dialogues present similarities not only between the characters of Glaucon and Alcibiades, but also in Socrates' relationships with each of them. Glaucon at first shows himself to be "selfishly" moved by the immense political power of the tyrant, but also by a desire to defend the virtue of perfect justice. With the elaborate construction of the kallipolis, Socrates teaches Glaucon the benefits of harnessing thumos or spiritedness in order to moderate the lower desires that lead to injustice. Much the same lesson is taught in the negative for those who hear Alcibiades' confused but unmistakable praise of Socratic eros in the Symposium. Rather than flattering the masses so as to attain political power, Alcibiades admits that he would be much happier were he to have educated his own erotic inclinations in the company of Socrates. Further, the dramatic and literary contexts of the dialogue suggest that his disastrous expedition to Syracuse would thus have been averted. These dialogues present citizens today with an education toward the virtues that conduce to moderation in politics.