The politics of the apolitical: Irony, sincerity, engagement

What do political engagement and apathy mean against the backdrop of a rapidly changing society? What kinds of problems are being expressed when people complain that young individuals are too ironic or too sincere? This dissertation explores the problems of understanding contemporary (progressive) citizenship by analyzing the cultural preoccupation with irony and sincerity in post-millennial Anglosphere Western culture. It presents a framework of philosophical and cultural-historic analysis in order to understand the valuation of the Modern ideal of ‘sincerity’ for citizenship.
While central to modern culture, there is a lack of clarity in how ‘sincerity’ can be an ideal that revitalizes citizenship. For this reason, the work of Stanley Cavell, Charles Taylor and Lionel Trilling provide specific criteria. Additionally, the problems of individualized and fragmented societies are difficult to counter via the appeal to sincerity and authenticity. The risk of a “Wordsworthian” personalization of politics risks obscuring the necessary procedural (temporally unfolding) dimensions of political engagement and democracy. An exploration of different ‘structures of feeling’ analyses the dangers of the ideal within specific Western conditions.
Its conclusion points to the need to create balance between the personalized and procedural aspects of political imagination and self-understanding, and offers insights as to how to navigate this imbalance.