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Stjepan Mestrovic has always been worth reading, and here is Mestrovic at his very best. Written with passion and principle, this book builds on the sociological tradition to explore the darkness of these postemotional times. A shining example of sociology as it should be - and so rarely is.
Stjepan Mestrovic presents a thought-provoking and critical piece of cultural sociology on the contemporary social issue of bullying rooted in the everyday but with recognition of the influential belief of historical forms of barbarism. He draws many vivid examples from social media, popular culture and the distressing but his close observations from the fallout and confrontations of the Abu Ghraib prison abuses in Iraq.
Mestrovic's The Postemotional Bully is a Maussian gift. This deeply intellectual and theoretically informed exploration of the Bully as a universal character-type, shows the deep tie-in between the Modern's transformation of how we experience emotions, and demonstrates Western culture's simultaneous attraction too and fear of the bullying impulse.
Stjepan Mestrovic offers a timely, new perspective for exploring the social problem of bullying. Contrary to the assertion that modern life appeals to the better angels of our nature, Mestrovic observes that modern society has accelerated serious dysfunctional and disruptive human tendencies. The act of bullying is not just carried out by the violent person hiding in the shadows of the classroom, the workplace, the boardroom, or a government office.
In lay terms, The Postemotional Bully provides a practical and up-to-date application of classical theoretical statements with regards to coercive forms of power in industrialized society. Furthermore, the text exposes how the role of deconstruction and mass emotional manipulation has permeated postmodern culture.
Professor Mestrovic is one of the few social scientists who consistently pushes the boundaries of the discipline. With this book, he has once again confirmed his reputation as an original and important thinker.
In this thought-provoking, theoretically dense essay, sociologist Mestrovic seeks to understand and explain the phenomena of bullying and hazing through the lens of what he labels “postemotional social theory.” [...] His theory is informed by a plethora of popular cultural artifacts, and also by empirical studies of high-profile cases of bullying worldwide.
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