Heretics and Heathens: The Politics of D

From Salem witches to QAnon conspiracy theories, deviant and heretical behaviors take various forms. But who holds the power to label someone a heretic, a heathen, or a deviant? For what purposes? And with what consequences? Heretics and Heathens: The Politics of Deviance in America explores these questions by analyzing the social dynamics that position outsiders and insiders and the underlying logics that inform and justify social positioning. Through case studies in U.S. history, including the Salem witch trials, the Red Scare, and the People’s Temple, we will examine how categories of deviance are socially constructed and used to stigmatize beliefs, practices, and individuals, and the material consequences of casting individuals and groups into these social roles. Students will analyze media and discourse to evaluate how these roles function, and to understand why and when they are deployed. The course will conclude with students developing their own case studies examining how categories of deviance are used to position an individual or group as beyond the threshold of cultural acceptability.