Read more
Dogwhistles and Figleaves explores ways in which political discourse in recent years has become more openly racist, and accepting of wildly implausible conspiracy theories. Jennifer Saul shows how two linguistic devices, dogwhistles and figleaves, have played a crucial role in this, and have exploited and widened existing divisions in society.
List of contents
- Introduction
- Part 1: Racism
- 1: White Racism, White Folk Racial Theory, and White Racial Discourse
- 2: Racist Dogwhistles
- 3: Figleaves for Racism
- Part 2: Falsehood
- 4: The Rise of Blatant Falsehood and Wild Conspiracism
- 5: Figleaves, Dogwhistles, and Falsehood
- 6: Obvious Falsehoods Without Deniability
- 7: Dogwhistles, Figleaves, and the Fight Against Racism and Blatant Falsehood
About the author
Jennifer Saul works in social and political philosophy of language, with particular interests in deceptive, sexist, and racist language. She has also worked in feminist philosophy and philosophy of psychology. In addition, she served as Director of the Society for Women in Philosophy UK 2009-2019, and President of the Mind Association in 2019. In 2011 she was named Distinguished Woman Philosopher by the US Society for Women in Philosophy. She taught at the University of Sheffield 1995-2019, and has been at the University of Waterloo since 2019.
Summary
Dogwhistles and Figleaves explores ways in which political discourse in recent years has become more openly racist, and accepting of wildly implausible conspiracy theories. Jennifer Saul shows how two linguistic devices, dogwhistles and figleaves, have played a crucial role in this, and have exploited and widened existing divisions in society.
Additional text
How did racism and blatant falsehood become so mainstream in U.S. politics? An essential part of the answer to this question is that racist political language has evolved to assume forms coded to be audible only to its followers, and forms that can stay undeciphered even by those under its influence--thus the overt and covert dogwhistle. Another essential adaptation discerned by Saul is the figleaf, which provides cover for a racist and/or blatantly false idea, enabling it to be paraded in public where once it would not have been accepted. With perfect pitch for the ruses of nefarious political speech, Saul's analysis brings out its recent modulations in resonant philosophical form.
