Political Practice: A Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Inquiry

241 Pages·2017·1.06 MB·English

by  Michael E. Arfkin

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Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School
8-2006
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Michael E. Arfkin
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss
Part of the Psychology Commons
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Arfkin, Michael E., "Political Practice: A Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Inquiry. " PhD diss., University of
Tennessee, 2006.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/1633
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To the Graduate Council:
I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Michael E. Arfkin entitled "Political Practice: A
Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Inquiry." I have examined the final electronic copy of this
dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Psychology.
Howard R. Pollio, Major Professor
We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance:
Jack Barlow, Allen Dunn, Lowell Gaertner
Accepted for the Council:
Carolyn R. Hodges
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
(Original signatures are on file with official student records.)
To the Graduate Council:

I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Michael E. Arfken entitled
“Political Practice: A Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Inquiry.” I have examined
the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend
that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Psychology.

Howard R. Pollio
Major Professor

We have read this dissertation
and recommend its acceptance:

Jack Barlow

Allen Dunn

Lowell Gaertner

Acceptance for the Council:

Anne Mayhew
Vice Chancellor and Dean of
Graduate Studies

(Original signatures are on file with official student records.)
POLITICAL PRACTICE:
A HERMENEUTIC-PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY

A Dissertation
Presented for the
Doctor of Philosophy
Degree
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Michael E. Arfken
August 2006
Copyright © 2006 by Michael E. Arfken
All rights reserved.

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DEDICATION
To Kristen, for everything.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
At this time, I would like to take a moment to thank those who have either
directly or indirectly contributed to the shape of the present project. While I have
gained much from these relationships, I assume responsibility for any errors that
the reader may find within these pages.
My family has played an important role in the completion of the present
project. Throughout the years, my parents and sister encouraged me to do my
very best in everything I have undertaken. I am eternally grateful for all the
support they have given me.
My interactions with faculty and students as an undergraduate at Texas
State University enabled me to begin to formulate some of the issues that appear
in the following pages. The friends that have contributed to this project are too
numerous to mention though I expect they will know who they are if I express my
appreciation to all of the “Austin/San Marcos Crew.” Several undergraduate
mentors were particularly influential in my decision to take the plunge into
academia; these include Maria Czyzewska, Stan Friedman, Christopher Frost,
Tom Grimes, Jeffery Gordon, and Timothy Hulsey. I am also indebted to the
Texas State University Honors Program for encouraging a form of
interdisciplinary scholarship that permeates the pages of the present project.
Faculty, staff, and students at The University of Tennessee were
instrumental in the completion of this dissertation. In particular, I would like to
thank Jack Barlow, Harry Dahms, Allen Dunn, Lowell Gaertner, Howard Pollio,
and Richard Saudargas. The conversations I had with these individuals are
largely responsible for the trajectory of my intellectual pursuits.
A healthy dose of Tool and Rage Against The Machine encouraged me to
keep up the fight even when faced with a number of hardships. While the present
project is but the beginning of a more thorough investigation of phenomenology,
politics, and practice, these artists have done much to inspire my intellectual
interests as a whole.
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I would also like to thank the folks at Sunspot for making themselves
available for hours of intellectual conversation and spirits. I can honestly say that
this dissertation would not have been the same without their influence.
Finally, many thanks go to my wife Kristen and her family and friends for
all of their encouragement in the tumultuous process of writing a dissertation.

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ABSTRACT
The present project focuses on some of the similarities between social
cognition, transcendental phenomenology, literary theory, and epistemological
hermeneutics. I argue that developments in hermeneutic theory call into
question the view that interpretation is a cognitive process residing within the
minds of individuals. Drawing on Heidegger’s project for a fundamental
ontology, I suggest that hermeneutic phenomenology provides a radical critique
of social cognition’s view of the nature of social reality. I also introduce the
concept of practice as an alternative to psychology’s focus on subjectivity.
These theoretical explorations provide a foundation for investigating the
practices that embody an interpretation of political reality. Using open-ended
qualitative interviews, I ask participants to describe in as much detail as possible,
salient political situations. I categorize these situations into three broad areas: (1)
media (2) conventional political activities and (3) political socialization. Within
each of these categories, I discuss variations in the way people understand
political life.
Finally, I explore the implications of these practices for our understanding
of democracy. I discuss how the movement from epistemology to ontology calls
into question the role of subjectivity in contemporary democratic societies.

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PREFACE
The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the concept of practice as it
relates to politics. The two broad research questions it seeks to answer are (1)
how is the concept of practice relevant to the theoretical foundations of
phenomenology and social cognition and (2) how do everyday political practices
embody an interpretation of social and political reality?
Chapter 1 explores the possibility that phenomenology may be able to do
more than provide contemporary psychology with rigorous descriptions of
human experience. In fact, I argue that when phenomenology is fused with
ontology, a radical revision of the concept of interpretation is in order. I
demonstrate this by focusing on social cognition’s view of the nature of the
relationship between the individual and his or her context. This chapter is
relatively long as I endeavor to clarify the philosophical foundations that guide
the present project.
Chapter 2 begins with a review of the literature in political psychology.
Here I explore the differences between psychological and sociological approaches
to political research. I also discuss the implications of these approaches for
phenomenological investigations of political practice.
Chapter 3 focuses on methodological issues. Here I discuss the stages of a
qualitative research study including thematizing, designing, interviewing,
transcribing, analyzing, verifying, and reporting. I also explore some of the
theoretical issues that emerge in qualitative research.
Chapter 4 looks at the interviews with a particular emphasis on the
practices that people discuss in the context of concrete political experiences. I
focus on three broad categories: (1) media (2) conventional political activities and
(3) political socialization.
Chapter 5 summarizes the implications of this investigation for research in
social and political psychology.

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