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The academic Trumpists: American professors who support the Trump presidency
Theory and Society ( IF 3.226 ) Pub Date : 2020-04-28 , DOI: 10.1007/s11186-020-09391-4
David L. Swartz

The Trump presidency has been remarkable in its attacks on many mainstream institutions. It has tapped populist sentiment that reflects little confidence in the key decision-making centers in American society. Higher education has not escaped this attack. Indeed, criticism of the academy has gone well beyond the debated policies of affirmative action and political correctness to the very status of expert knowledge itself, questioning what is legitimate knowledge. Claims of “false data” and “alternative facts” parade in the public arena without the benefit of reasoned scholarship that might separate fact from fiction. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the attack on science, particularly scientific research focusing on environmental issues and climate change. Nonetheless, a small number of academicians—supposed arbiters of truth—advocate for Trump. How does one explain this apparent anomaly? Why would scholars support a president and populist movement that attack the very foundations of their professional life: knowledge and expertise? I have identified 103 such professors who offer their public support of Trump through blogs, essays, op-ed pieces, public lectures, tweets, YouTube videos, and even a couple of trade books. These are public intellectuals who intervene beyond the classroom and laboratory to promote a political agenda that is supportive of Trump. They are public advocates for Trump: academic Trumpists. Who are these individuals? Where do they teach? What do they teach? What kinds of connections external to the academy do they cultivate? How do they justify their support of Trump? This article offers some answers to these questions. It draws inspiration from Bourdieu’s field analysis of the politics of higher education and the sociology of conservative intellectuals.

中文翻译:

学术特朗普主义者:支持特朗普总统任期的美国教授

特朗普总统在攻击许多主流机构方面表现出色。它利用了民粹主义情绪,反映出人们对美国社会关键决策中心缺乏信心。高等教育也未能逃脱这次袭击。事实上,对学院的批评已经远远超出了平权行动和政治正确性的辩论政策,已经深入到专家知识本身的地位,质疑什么是合法知识。“虚假数据”和“替代事实”的说法在公共领域大行其道,而没有可能将事实与虚构区分开来的合理学术的好处。这一点在对科学的攻击中最为明显,尤其是针对环境问题和气候变化的科学研究。尽管如此,少数院士——被认为是真理的仲裁者——支持特朗普。如何解释这一明显的异常现象?为什么学者会支持总统和民粹主义运动,这些运动会攻击他们职业生涯的基础:知识和专长?我已经确定了 103 位这样的教授,他们通过博客、论文、专栏文章、公开讲座、推文、YouTube 视频,甚至几本商业书籍,公开支持特朗普。这些公共知识分子在课堂和实验室之外进行干预,以促进支持特朗普的政治议程。他们是特朗普的公开拥护者:学术特朗普主义者。这些人是谁?他们在哪里教学?他们教什么?他们在学院之外培养什么样的联系?他们如何证明他们对特朗普的支持是合理的?本文为这些问题提供了一些答案。它的灵感来自布迪厄对高等教育政治和保守知识分子社会学的实地分析。
更新日期:2020-04-28
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