Mythic Structure Theory: Proposing a New Framework for the Study of Political Issues

Autor: David L. Schecter
Rok vydání: 2005
Předmět:
Zdroj: Politics & Policy. 33:221-241
ISSN: 1747-1346
1555-5623
DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-1346.2005.tb00641.x
Popis: This article develops the tenets of a new political theory evolved from the discovery that there are numerous frameworks to study political issues, such as abortion, but few over-arching theories. I propose and explore the tenets and hypotheses of a new “mythic structure theory.” Mythic structure theory draws from numerous examples in literature and anthropology and treats political issues as mythical stories, referencing heavily the works of James Joyce and Joseph Campbell. The essay concludes with the specific application of mythic structure theory to the issue of abortion and an argument is made as to why mythic structure theory yields insights into the abortion debate not offered by other theoretical frameworks. The application of this concept is recommended for the study of political issues such as abortion, civil rights, the environment, and education. The idea for this work grew out of several thoughts coalescing. In recognizing the seriousness and non-ending quality of the abortion debate, for example, it appears that none of the current theoretical frameworks sufficiently explains the magnitude and complexity of the topic. In a normative sense, what is the best way to study this issue? Do the religious, legalistic, or public policy frameworks so prevalent in the literature reasonably explain the issue? What is the best way to navigate political topics in which there are numerous contested beliefs and assumptions? A “war” metaphor is often used to describe the debates over abortion, but this is too rigid to capture the nuances of the debate. After all, there are scholars in the debate who look at issues such as morality and ethics, not in terms of two sides in a “war,” but in terms of some universal concepts beyond mere earthly battles. An additional problem with the “war” metaphor is that it becomes reductive—a sort of shorthand that allows us to sidestep deeper thinking about the issue. These problems reflect what Clifford Geertz (1973), in The Interpretation of Cultures, considers common in the analysis of complex social issues: “ …one is left with a collection of anecdotes connected by insinuation, and with a feeling that though much has been touched little has been grasped” (312).
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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