Changing Faces of Change: Metanarratives in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

This article explores the significance of the theme of “change” in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, going beyond its rhetorical use by the candidates or as a way of defining a historic electoral shift (making an “election of change”) to examine how change played a critical role in the political...

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Main Author: Albion M. Butters
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Association for American Studies 2017-08-01
Series:European Journal of American Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/12116
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author Albion M. Butters
author_facet Albion M. Butters
author_sort Albion M. Butters
collection DOAJ
description This article explores the significance of the theme of “change” in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, going beyond its rhetorical use by the candidates or as a way of defining a historic electoral shift (making an “election of change”) to examine how change played a critical role in the political landscape itself. One can locate voters’ desire for change in many existing conditions leading up to the race, but also ideologically and as a force in its own right. Framing of the election as a story reveals that the various actors were increasingly aware of their shifting identities, representations, and agency; thus, change was not just a plot of the story, frequently expressed in terms of populism and popular culture, but a fundamental dynamic behind competing metanarratives and contestations of how the story should be told.
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spelling doaj-art-b3e4d4aa912042b1b20fcb322701fce22025-01-06T09:09:36ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362017-08-0112210.4000/ejas.12116Changing Faces of Change: Metanarratives in the 2016 U.S. Presidential ElectionAlbion M. ButtersThis article explores the significance of the theme of “change” in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, going beyond its rhetorical use by the candidates or as a way of defining a historic electoral shift (making an “election of change”) to examine how change played a critical role in the political landscape itself. One can locate voters’ desire for change in many existing conditions leading up to the race, but also ideologically and as a force in its own right. Framing of the election as a story reveals that the various actors were increasingly aware of their shifting identities, representations, and agency; thus, change was not just a plot of the story, frequently expressed in terms of populism and popular culture, but a fundamental dynamic behind competing metanarratives and contestations of how the story should be told.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/12116pop politicselection of changeteleologydeclinismpolitical metanarrative2016 U.S. presidential election
spellingShingle Albion M. Butters
Changing Faces of Change: Metanarratives in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
European Journal of American Studies
pop politics
election of change
teleology
declinism
political metanarrative
2016 U.S. presidential election
title Changing Faces of Change: Metanarratives in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
title_full Changing Faces of Change: Metanarratives in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
title_fullStr Changing Faces of Change: Metanarratives in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
title_full_unstemmed Changing Faces of Change: Metanarratives in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
title_short Changing Faces of Change: Metanarratives in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
title_sort changing faces of change metanarratives in the 2016 u s presidential election
topic pop politics
election of change
teleology
declinism
political metanarrative
2016 U.S. presidential election
url https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/12116
work_keys_str_mv AT albionmbutters changingfacesofchangemetanarrativesinthe2016uspresidentialelection