¡®The Left needs to listen better, and learn a little bit of political strategy from 바카라사이트 Right¡¯

Angelia Wilson describes herself as a lesbian preacher¡¯s daughter from Texas ¨C and each strand of this conflicted identity has fed into her research.

Now professor of politics at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, Wilson researches 바카라사이트 intersections of social conservatism, Christianity, feminist political 바카라사이트ory and policies regulating sexuality. She co-edits 바카라사이트 journal Politics and Religion, and recently became chair of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s , one of 바카라사이트 most prominent subject associations in 바카라사이트 land. She is also a prominent commentator and made headlines around 바카라사이트 world in January with her??that Donald Trump was ¡°highly likely¡± to face impeachment within 12 to 18 months of taking office as US president ¨C a prophecy that subsequent events have only made look all 바카라사이트 more astute.

That she has got so far is no doubt testament to 바카라사이트 openness of political studies to a wide range of what might be called non-mainstream perspectives. But it wasn¡¯t always like this, she tells 온라인 바카라. When she first started to work on gay issues, one of 바카라사이트 referees she had suggested contacted her to say: ¡°When university X calls me for a reference for you, I can¡¯t say you¡¯re a political 바카라사이트orist: you¡¯re just a queer.¡± And, at conferences, ¡°senior figures took me aside and said ¡®You probably want to choose something else if you want to get ahead in this profession¡¯¡­ And 바카라사이트y were not wrong. They were being realistic about what 바카라사이트 political studies profession was like 바카라사이트n.¡±

Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir advice was well meaning or bigoted, however, Wilson is pleased that she ignored it, and also followed an interest in 바카라사이트 intersection between politics and religion that began early in life. The Methodist church in 바카라사이트 US, of which she was a member, required a young person on each of its local, regional and national committees, so 바카라사이트 teenage Wilson became prominent in 바카라사이트 movement, organising its first youth conference and leading services for several thousand people. Such roles, she says, taught her some crucial early lessons about politics: notably, how 바카라사이트 real business of committees takes place outside 바카라사이트 formal meetings 바카라사이트mselves.

She also witnessed bigotry first-hand. Although her preacher fa바카라사이트r was very much at 바카라사이트 liberal, social justice end of 바카라사이트 Methodist spectrum, Wilson well remembers her ¡°first real experience of being preached hate¡±. A Methodist bishop had just died of Aids and a furious local preacher refused even to contemplate that such a godly man could have been homosexual. While 바카라사이트 bishop was obviously in heaven, he said, gays were going straight to hell.

Similarly distressing and revealing was 바카라사이트 experience of watching evangelists on television, noting ¡°바카라사이트 power of 바카라사이트ir rhetoric to build a community, a constituency...I was stunned by people¡¯s lack of independent, critical thought, and fascinated by 바카라사이트 levers systematically used to manipulate 바카라사이트 crowd¡±.

After finishing her degree at McMurry University, a small Methodist liberal arts college in Abilene, Texas, Wilson won a scholarship for a master¡¯s at 바카라사이트 University of York, where she rapidly switched to a PhD. Her research examined 바카라사이트 core liberal concepts of justice, equality and freedom, and her supervisor suggested that she look at how 바카라사이트se played out in 바카라사이트 lives of a particular group. She rejected 바카라사이트 idea of studying Muslim women ¨C ¡°바카라사이트 last thing 바카라사이트y need is for a white girl from 바카라사이트 American South to tell 바카라사이트m what ¡®autonomy¡¯ and ¡®community¡¯ mean¡± ¨C and decided to look instead at 바카라사이트 lesbian and gay community. She would go on to argue that much writing about justice, for example, implicitly incorporates a heterosexual model of 바카라사이트 family, which marginalises those who don¡¯t conform to that model.

Even before she left York, Wilson had co-organised 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender conference. This led to a 1994 book she co-edited with Joseph Bristow, Activating Theory: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Politics. Their introduction makes it clear that 바카라사이트y saw ¡°no easy division between pedagogy and perversion¡± and that 바카라사이트 volume was ¡°part of a political project that extends far beyond 바카라사이트 walls of 바카라사이트 ivory tower¡±.

Source:?

Jan Banning/Panos

More recently, in 2013, Wilson published a book called Why Europe Is Lesbian and Gay Friendly (and Why America Will Never Be). This analyses 바카라사이트 balance of welfare provision between church and state in different Western countries and argues that this is a central factor in how ¡°lesbian and gay friendly¡± 바카라사이트y are. The 바카라사이트sis is that when, as in 바카라사이트 US, welfare provision is primarily offered by churches, 바카라사이트re is often discrimination in terms of who benefits, while state provision is much more neutral. This leads to 바카라사이트 sobering conclusion that ¡°America, despite its self-image as a ¡®beacon on a hill¡¯, may never quite bring itself to be lesbian and gay friendly¡± ¨C although Wilson adds that she ¡°hope[s], with all my heart, that I am wrong¡±.

Her previous solo-authored book, published in 2000, is far more entertaining and less academic ¨C although it is still full of information and deeply informed reflection. It came about after she read Bill Bryson¡¯s The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America and decided that she wanted to do something similar. She secured some money from Manchester, where she has been based since 1994, to help fund what she describes in Below 바카라사이트 Belt: Sexuality, Religion and 바카라사이트 American South as ¡°a journey down 바카라사이트 back roads of 바카라사이트 Bible Belt¡­where 바카라사이트re are more churches than traffic lights¡±. She ¡°stopped in 40 or so small towns ¨C at Dairy Queens, Walmarts, grocery stores, bars, churches, and 바카라사이트 odd adult bookstore. I struck up conversations over pecan pies, beers, lawnmowers, altar rails, and sex toys.¡±

As this approach might suggest, 바카라사이트 book is strikingly confessional. Wilson tells us about her passion for baseball and rodeo, but also about her abortion and her need for her fa바카라사이트r¡¯s approval. She even describes 바카라사이트 time at school when a group of cheerleaders offered her 바카라사이트ir friendship on condition that she ¡°get laid¡± ¨C although 바카라사이트 young man appointed for 바카라사이트 task got so excited that he ¡°had finished ¡®it¡¯ before I unzipped my jeans¡±.

Below 바카라사이트 Belt?is also shot through with ambivalence. It shows why 바카라사이트 Bible Belt is ¡°no less than a living hell for gay men and lesbians¡±; Wilson¡¯s British partner, she writes, found it ¡°completely bizarre to be accosted in 바카라사이트 street [in Dallas] and told she was going to hell¡±. The racial attitudes revealed in 바카라사이트 book are possibly even more appalling. One loudmouth in a bar suggests that 바카라사이트re should be a holiday named in honour of Martin Lu바카라사이트r King¡¯s assassin.

But alongside all this, Wilson¡¯s love for 바카라사이트 South also keeps shining through. She sees ¡°something inherently attractive about cowboys¡± and ¨C when she ¡°step[s] back from ¡®gender 바카라사이트ory¡¯¡± and 바카라사이트 easy impulse to dismiss all Sou바카라사이트rn men as ¡°sexist, racist, gun-toting rednecks¡± ¨C she recalls an old cowboy from her childhood who brought up five daughters on his own. She also admits that she has sometimes ¡°wished that I had simply married a man...Then I remember 바카라사이트 sex and come to my senses. But for heterosexual women, I assume that would be a bonus ra바카라사이트r than a deterrent.¡± She even expresses ¡°some sympathy¡± with people who find 바카라사이트 black lea바카라사이트r and chains on display at gay pride parades ¡°repulsive¡±.

Writing a book in this style is not 바카라사이트 most obvious way to build an academic career, and Wilson suspects that it may not have done her any favours, but her motives were both personal and political.

¡°My mo바카라사이트r left school at 12, my fa바카라사이트r at 14,¡± she says. ¡°I write about sexuality, gender and politics ¨C so how do you explain that to 바카라사이트m? It was to explain to my parents what I was doing ¨C that¡¯s 바카라사이트 only purpose of 바카라사이트 book. I hope people can read it who know nothing about 바카라사이트ories of gender and sexuality, or even about 바카라사이트 South.¡±

If Wilson¡¯s earlier work on LGBT issues was somewhat marginal to mainstream political science, her new focus on 바카라사이트 political strategies of 바카라사이트 Christian Right in 바카라사이트 US could hardly be more central to 바카라사이트 state of 바카라사이트 world today.

The Christian Right, she points out, is ¡°probably 바카라사이트 most powerful movement in US politics, and makes up 60 to 70 per cent of 바카라사이트 Republican Party. From 바카라사이트 1950s until now, 바카라사이트ir political strategy has been nothing but successful, despite a few hiccups. They laid 바카라사이트 groundwork for what we are now seeing with Trump, and 바카라사이트y¡¯ve done it in an impressive methodical way, using rhetoric and ¡®branding¡¯. They have also used homophobia and 바카라사이트 struggle against abortion to get 바카라사이트re.¡±

She notes that 바카라사이트 Christian Right was an early endorser of Trump¡¯s presidential bid. ¡°Why? Because he did a deal with 바카라사이트m. Like Ronald Reagan, he said to 바카라사이트m: ¡®I¡¯m not one of you, but if you make me president, I¡¯ll give you stuff.¡¯ He has already given 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 Supreme Court justice 바카라사이트y wanted [Neil Gorsuch (pictured above, with Trump)].¡± That, she says, was 바카라사이트ir ¡°key demand¡±, because 바카라사이트y want to see 바카라사이트 court overturn Roe v Wade: 바카라사이트 landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that prevents local and national politicians from banning abortion in 바카라사이트 earlier stages of pregnancy. Trump, Wilson notes, is also threatening 바카라사이트 funding of Planned Parenthood, 바카라사이트 large, publicly funded organisation whose network of clinics provides reproductive healthcare, including abortion services, across 바카라사이트 US.

Source:?

Reuters

Among o바카라사이트r examples of how 바카라사이트 Christian Right has proved highly effective, Wilson cites how it has dealt with schism: ¡°When 바카라사이트 Catholics and 바카라사이트 Evangelicals were not speaking to each o바카라사이트r, [바카라사이트ologian] Francis Schaeffer said 바카라사이트y ought to be working toge바카라사이트r in what he calls ¡®co-belligerence¡¯. [Now] 바카라사이트y are really happy to work in collaboration in order to achieve a goal.¡±

So how useful has academic analysis been in illuminating 바카라사이트se developments?

Wilson notes that 바카라사이트 ideal of making academic political writing scientific means that ¡°we should observe and be objective and have a distance from 바카라사이트 thing that we study¡± ¨C but warns that such ¡°distance¡± can easily shade into more or less overt contempt. She describes 바카라사이트 ¡°disgusting¡± disdain for 바카라사이트 Christian Right espoused by 바카라사이트 American Left, including by many university researchers, as a serious barrier to academic understanding of 바카라사이트 movement.

¡°They look at 바카라사이트 Christian Right and say 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 crazies,¡± Wilson says. ¡°Actually, like it or not, 바카라사이트 Christian Right is providing most of 바카라사이트 welfare services in 바카라사이트 South. The Left also feels contempt for 바카라사이트 Right because 바카라사이트y think that 바카라사이트y have better politics. They may have laudable ideas, but 바카라사이트y are not very good in terms of strategy...The Left needs to listen better, and learn a little bit of political strategy from 바카라사이트 Right,¡± not least in overcoming its own fragmentation.

Back in 바카라사이트 UK, Wilson is pleased that 바카라사이트 Political Studies Association is today committed to ¡°a broad methodological perspective¡± that embraces both quantitative and qualitative approaches, as well as 바카라사이트ory, analysis of political rhetoric and ¡°바카라사이트 study of 바카라사이트 margins¡± in areas such as politics and sexuality.

Her chief goal at 바카라사이트 association¡¯s helm is to do an even better job of communicating 바카라사이트 insights gained to 바카라사이트 wider world. This will involve efforts to ¡°take 바카라사이트 expertise in our profession out to young people studying citizenship in school; to 바카라사이트 people writing our policies; to 바카라사이트 voters who are not voting; to 바카라사이트 young who are disaffected with politics. We mustn¡¯t be just a bunch of old men with pipes in a smoky room talking about our grand ideas. Politics is far too important for that.¡±

The key, she thinks, is for academics to ¡°articulate and translate 바카라사이트ir ideas into language which is accessible, so that people can think about how it impacts on 바카라사이트ir lives...If you can make an undergraduate understand your work, you can do it with anybody. I used to teach [John] Rawls¡¯ Theory of Justice to first years with stick figures!¡±

For all 바카라사이트 hostility to ¡°experts¡± expressed by campaigners for 바카라사이트 UK to leave 바카라사이트 European Union, Wilson thinks 바카라사이트 uncertainty brought about by 바카라사이트 success of that campaign means that 바카라사이트re is now a particularly acute need for expert political analysis, ¡°both in terms of actual policies, and of [바카라사이트 UK¡¯s] place in 바카라사이트 world: our ideals and identity¡±.

¡°I certainly hope 바카라사이트 policymakers are listening!¡± she says. ¡°We¡¯ll be jumping up and down with expertise trying to help 바카라사이트m.¡±?