The twilight of social conservatism : American culture wars in the Obama era

Despite Many Americans’ Triumphant Proclamations That Barack Obama’s 2008 And 2012 Elections Signified A Post-partisan, Post-racial Society, It Seems That The United States Is More Divided Than Ever. From The Rise Of The Tea Party, To Strident Anti-immigration And Anti-welfare Movements, To The So-called “war On Women”, The United States On Its Surface Appears To Be Caught In The Turmoil Of A Culture War That Has Not Relented Since The Reagan Era. But, As John Dombrink Writes In The Twilight Of Social Conservatism, The Conservative Backlash Seen During Obama’s Presidency Is Indicative Not Of A Rising Social Conservative Force In Society, But Of A Waning One. Drawing On Demographic Research, Political Polls, Contemporary Media, And Internet Commentary, Dombrink Demonstrates That The Vitality Of Major Social Conservative Ideas From The Culture War Era Has Faded. Support For Once-divisive Wedge Issues, Like Same-sex Marriage And Reproductive Rights, Has Increased Dramatically, And Americans, Particularly Young Americans, Are Less Religious And More Libertarian Than Ever Before. As He Traces The End Of The Culture Wars And The “unwedging” Of American Politics Over The Last Eight Years, Dombrink Is Quick To Caution That Social Conservatism Has Not Disappeared Entirely From View. Nevertheless, The Once-prominent “moral Majority” Pushing For Dominance In American Culture Is Now Reconsidering Itself As A Minority, And Dombrink Argues That It Is Unlikely That Social Conservative Forces Will Ever Regain The Power And Potency They Once Held In American Politics. A Comprehensive And Insightful Work, The Twilight Of Social Conservatism Deftly Analyzes The Liberalizing Trends That Created The Social And Political Culture America Has Today And That Portend To The Culture America Will Have In Years To Come. Despite Americans' triumphant proclamations that Obama's election signified a post-partisan, post-racial society, it seems that the United States is more divided than ever. From the rise of the Tea Party, to anti-immigration and anti-welfare movements, to the so-called war on women, the United States on its surface appears to be caught up in a culture war that has not relented since the Reagan era. But, as John Dombrink writes, the conservative backlash seen during Obama's presidency indicates not a rising social conservative force in society but a waning one. Drawing on demographic research, political polls, contemporary media, and internet commentary, Dombrink demonstrates that the vitality of major conservative ideas from the culture war era has faded. Once-divisive wedge issues, such as same-sex marriage and reproductive rights, now garner popular support, and Americans, particularly young Americans are less religious and less nationalistic than ever before. As he traces the end of the culture wars and the "unwedging" of American politics over the last eight years, Dombrink is quick to caution that social conservatism has not disappeared entirely from view. Nevertheless, the once-prominent "moral majority" pushing for dominance in American culture is now soundly a minority, and Dombrink argues that it is unlikely that social conservative forces will ever regain the power they once held. A comprehensive and insightful work, The Twilight of Social Conservatism deftly analyzes the liberalizing trends that created the social and political culture America has today and that portend the culture America will have in years to come. Book jacket

The first book on foster care written from foster mothers' perspectives, They're All My Children voices the often painful experiences of contemporary U.S. foster mothers as they struggle to mother and care-work in the face of exploitative social relations with the state. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research, Wozniak, herself a former foster mother and an anthropologist, presents and analyzes women's personal stories about fostering to reflect on the larger socio-cultural context of American family life - namely, how we think about kinship, identity, and work. Foster mothers construct enduring kinship relationships with children, and often with the children's biological families. These relationships enhance children's chances to growth and thrive and in turn extend women's kin relationships into often distant and disparate communities. Wozniak also highlights the economic side of fostering to show how foster mothers are both mothers and workers; foster children are both providers and provided for, adored sentimental children and economic figures.

Through in-depth interviews and participant observation, Wozniak argues that we have not gone far enough in understanding the experiences of these women whose life work lies outside the usual boundaries. Nor have child welfare gone far enough in revising the theories upon which child welfare policies are based. Foster mothers and their experiences challenge the patriarchal, nuclear family ideals upon which foster care programs are based, a challenge that They're All My Children takes forward.

Liberalization and backlash in the Obama era -- Anger and resentment anew : Tea parties and the Obama backlash -- Marriage equality : America and the new normal -- After Falwell : shifts and continuities in the culture war and the role of religion in America -- Vota tus valores? : the culture war in a diversifying America -- Campaign 2012 : of plutocrats, rape, and the ascendant majority? -- Whither the culture war? : the unwedging of old frames.