'With The Age of Charisma, Jeremy C. Young offers a richly suggestive, original, often brilliant and compelling history of how charisma stood at the center of American political culture from the 1880s to 1940. Fluidly written and wonderfully researched, it makes a significant contribution to our understanding of America's past. The scholarship is immensely sound, and I know of no book that comes close to contributing what Young does.' Daniel Horowitz, author of On the Cusp: Yale College Class of 1960 and a World on the Verge of Change

'This important book offers an innovative analysis and interpretation of many of the main intellectual, social, political, and religious currents of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. By providing such a clear, persuasive, and direct analytical framework, Young contributes new insights to what we know of the era, identifies some of the key agents of progressive change, and offers a clear and persuasive argument. The research behind this book is excellent and Young's writing is clear and succinct. In sum, this is an excellent book.' Matthew Avery Sutton, author of American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism

'There is much that is valuable in this book … Young's book gives us insight into the historical forms by which a culture theoretically committed to democratic individualism struggled with emotional bonds and problems of authority and social leadership.' Daniel Wickberg, Journal of Social History

An innovative examination of American society, culture, and politics, The Age of Charisma argues that the modern relationship between American leaders and followers grew out of a unique group of charismatic social movements prominent in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Drawing on hundreds of letters and testimonials, Jeremy C. Young illustrates how 'personal magnetism' in public speaking shaped society by enabling a shift from emotionally-inaccessible leadership to emotionally-available leadership. This charismatic speaking style caused a rapid transformation in the leader-follower relationship, creating an emotional link between speakers and listeners, and the effects of this social transformation remain with us today. Young argues that, ultimately, charismatic movements enhanced American democracy by encouraging the personalization of leadership - creating a culture in which today's leaders appeal directly to Americans through mass media.
Les mer
Introduction; 1. Magnetic America: personal magnetism in American culture, 1870–1900; 2. Command performances: leaders and their technologies, 1890–1910; 3. Transformations: the follower experience, 1890–1920; 4. Competing visions: imagining charisma and social change, 1890–1910; 5. Changing society: the rise and fall of progressive charisma, 1910–20; 6. End of an age: from magnetism to mass communication, 1920–40; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
Les mer
'With The Age of Charisma, Jeremy C. Young offers a richly suggestive, original, often brilliant and compelling history of how charisma stood at the center of American political culture from the 1880s to 1940. Fluidly written and wonderfully researched, it makes a significant contribution to our understanding of America's past. The scholarship is immensely sound, and I know of no book that comes close to contributing what Young does.' Daniel Horowitz, author of On the Cusp: Yale College Class of 1960 and a World on the Verge of Change
Les mer
This book demonstrates how the modern relationship between leaders and followers in America grew out of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century charismatic social movements.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781107114623
Publisert
2016-12-28
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
630 gr
Høyde
236 mm
Bredde
160 mm
Dybde
25 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
356

Forfatter

Om bidragsyterne

Jeremy C. Young is an assistant professor of history at Dixie State University, Utah. His writing has appeared in the Journal of Social History, the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Forest History Today, and a dozen newspapers including the Chicago Sun-Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Seattle Times.