Invoking the Fathers: Dangerous Metaphors and Founding Myths in Congressional Politics

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Sarah Kornfield

Invoking the Fathers

Dangerous Metaphors and Founding Myths in Congressional Politics

Sarah Kornfield

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English

Johns Hopkins University Press
17 September 2024

American War of Independence; Political science & theory; Central government

Why is the metaphor of the ""Founding Fathers"" so insidious—and how does it impact American politics?

American politicians routinely invoke the metaphor of the ""Founding Fathers"" when referring to the men who supposedly set the United States on a path to greatness. On average, the term ""Founding Fathers"" is uttered by a congressional member every single day that Congress is in session. Why is this metaphor repeated constantly—and what effect does it have on policy? In Invoking the Fathers, communication scholar Sarah Kornfield links this rhetorical strategy to the rise of patriarchal white supremacy and Christian nationalism in the United States.

Using the House and the Senate as the objects of her study, Kornfield traces the trope of fatherhood across congressional discourse and theorizes a rhetoric of sovereignty in which the founders' most obvious heirs—white Christian men—inherit America and its governance. Congressional politicians use this metaphor in four ways: to supposedly advocate for rights and liberties, to demand checks and balances, to celebrate American exceptionalism, and to call for bipartisan politics. These four situations are all, at their core, disputes over what kind of nation America is or should be.

Metaphors are not harmless, Kornfield argues, and this one is particularly pernicious: the fatherhood metaphor is taken up and violently embodied by men's rights groups, white supremacist groups, and Christian nationalists. Ultimately, the book demonstrates how this gendered metaphor creates and reinforces a legislative system in which some are considered more equal than others.

By: Sarah Kornfield
Imprint: Johns Hopkins University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 522g
ISBN: 9781421449739
ISBN 10: 1421449730
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 17 September 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Sarah Kornfield (HOLLAND, MICHIGAN) is an associate professor of communication and women's and gender studies at Hope College. She is the author of Contemporary Rhetorical Criticism.