Frank Furedi

How Fear Works (eBook, ePUB)

Culture of Fear in the Twenty-First Century

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Frank Furedi returns to the theme of Fear in our society and culture.

In 1997, Frank Furedi published a book called Culture of Fear. It was widely acclaimed as perceptive and prophetic. Now Furedi returns to his original theme, as most of what he predicted has come true. In How Fear Works, Furedi seeks to explain two interrelated themes: why has fear acquired such a morally commanding status in society today and how has the way we fear today changed from the way that it was experienced in the past?

Furedi argues that one of the main drivers of the culture of fear is unravelling of moral authority. Fear appears to provide a provisional solution to moral uncertainty and is for that reason embraced by a variety of interests, parties and individuals. Furedi predicts that until society finds a more positive orientation towards uncertainty the politicisation of fear will flourish.

Society is continually bombarded with the message that the threats it faces are incalculable and cannot be managed or contained. The ascendancy of this outlook has been paralleled by the cultivation of helplessness and passivity - all this has heightened people's sense of powerlessness and anxiety. As a consequence we are constantly searching for new forms of security, both physical and ontological. What are the drivers of fear, what is the role of the media in its promotion, and who actually benefits from this culture of fear?

These are some of the issues Furedi tackles to explain the current predicament. He believes that through understanding how fear works, we can encourage attitudes that will help bring about a less fearful future.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 320
• Erscheinungstermin: 14. Juni 2018
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781472947710
• Artikelnr.: 52920404

Autorenporträt

Frank Furedi is Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent, UK. He is the author of fourteen books including Why Education isn't Educating (2010), The Politics of Fear (2007), Where have all the Intellectuals Gone? (2005), Therapy Culture (2003) and Paranoid Parenting (2001). Furedi's books offer an authoritative yet lively account of key developments in contemporary cultural life, with a particular interest in precautionary culture and risk aversion in the West. He is the UK sociologist most widely cited by the UK media and his books have been translated into eleven languages. He appears frequently on television and radio in the English speaking world and beyond and he publishes regular articles with a range of newspapers.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction
1 Changing Stories of Fear
2 Waiting for the Time Bomb to Explode
3 Moral Confusion - the Main Driver of the Culture of Fear
4 The Perspective of Fear - How it Works
5 Creation of the Fearful Subject
6 The Quest for Safety in a Dangerous World
Conclusion: Towards a Less Fearful Future
Acknowledgements
Notes
Bibliography
Index