The Cultural Sociology of Political Assassination

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. The Primal Scene

   • Ron Eyerman

   Pages 1-7

3. Political Assassination, Trauma, and Narration

   • Ron Eyerman

   Pages 9-32

4. Remembering the 1960s: The Assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy

   • Ron Eyerman

   Pages 33-73

5. The End of Innocence: The Murders of Olof Palme and Anna Lindh

   • Ron Eyerman

   Pages 75-109

6. The End of Tolerance: The Murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh

   • Ron Eyerman

   Pages 111-144

7. Conclusion

   • Ron Eyerman

   Pages 145-170

8. Back Matter

   Pages 171-191

   PDF

Developing the theory of cultural trauma in regard to the shattering potential effects of political assassinations, Eyerman examines political and social life in three different national contexts: Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, and Harvey Milk in the U.S.; Theo Van Gogh in the Netherlands; and Olof Palme and Anna Lindh in Sweden

• cultural sociology
• Nation
• political assassination
• sociology

"It is a pleasure to welcome Ron Eyerman's brilliant contribution to our understanding of the dark dynamics of political assassination, cultural trauma, and collective memory. His work is at once psychologically sensitive and socially perceptive, theoretically sound and empirically informed, subtle and lucid in interpretation, case-based and responsive to comparative cultural context - an exemplary social-science enterprise." - Neil J. Smelser, University Professor of Sociology Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley

"Political assassinations can be deep cultural traumas, and as Ron Eyerman shows, analyzing them can yield important insights into national cultures. This book helpfully broadens thinking about political culture and also shows why certain political events matter beyond the limits of politics narrowly understood." - Craig Calhoun, President, Social Science Research Council; University Professor of the Social Sciences, New York University

RON EYERMAN Professor of Sociology at Yale University, USA.

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