ATLAS OF SACRIFICE: Three Studies of Ritual Sacrifice in Late Capitalism
Open Access
Author:
Wang, Keren
Graduate Program:
Communication Arts and Sciences
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
May 17, 2018
Committee Members:
Stephen Howard Browne, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor Stephen Howard Browne, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Kirtley Hasketh Wilson, Committee Member Jeremy Engels, Committee Member Larry Cata Backer, Outside Member
Keywords:
globalization neoliberalism ritual sacrifice rhetoric political philosophy political theory transnationalism political communication
Abstract:
This dissertation project focuses on one understudied rhetorical dynamic of late-capitalist global system – its rhetorical inventions of ritual sacrifice. Rituals not only have the capacity to discipline the human body to perform prescribed social transactions, but can also render violent social transactions to appear irresistible, or even palatable. Through three distinct case studies of public takings, this project seeks to examine the subtle ways in which rhetorics of sacrifice are reappropriated into the governance structures of neoliberalism. These case studies also highlight the role ritual plays in the management and normalization of dehumanizing conditions of the prevailing political-economic order.
