Anger and Identity in the Divided States of America

Abstract

Pankaj Mishra’s Age of Anger provides a paradigm for making sense of the current global rise of authoritarian populist movements that sanction violence and social unrest. This paper uses Mishra’s framework and primary themes to illuminate the extraordinary 2020 U.S. Presidential election and its aftermath, including a mob attack on the U.S. Capitol building: a violent attempt by angry loyalists of Donald Trump to stop a peaceful transfer of power. After presenting evidence that Trumpism is a unique form of populism, the work closes with some discussion about how to mitigate such movements.