The End of Politics

Perhaps the most enduring legacy of the Clinton impeachment saga will be the outpourings of disgust and pessimism it has evoked from Americans of all ages and walks of life. Yet our national disaffection with politics is nothing new. Voter turnout has declined alarmingly in recent elections, and many complain about the inaccessibility, corruption and hypocrisy of political actors and institutions. This book delves beneath the sound bites and news headlines to explore the ongoing process of depoliticization in the United States. Boggs provides a panoramic view of the US contemporary political, economic, and technological scene. He shows how the effects of free-market ideology and corporate greed have undermined civic participation and democratic decision-making, while exacerbating social and ecological crises. The book illuminates the American retreat to an eerily privatized landscape of shopping malls, gated communities, new-age and utopian groups, identity-based movements, and postmodern intellectual enclaves. It issues an eloquent call for revitalizing politics and rebuilding civic society.