TY - JOUR
T1 - The dictator as heuristic
T2 - Trump, Zuma, and the hazards of comparison
AU - Armillas-Tiseyra, Magalí
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - This essay investigates the hazards of comparing Trump and Zuma, invoking “hazard” in its negative as well as potentially positive senses. Focusing on the recurrent association of Trump with (often former) strongmen of the erstwhile Third World–as in the Daily Show’s 2015 segment, “Donald Trump: America’s First African President”–I posit that the critical value of such characterizations is undercut by the assumptions they reveal about Africa and the Global South. But I do not entirely discard the critical utility of comparing Trump and Zuma. I argue instead for a comparison rooted in an understanding of “resonance” (as loose or fleeting similarity), which allows for significant difference, including the very different positions these two actors occupy in the global hierarchy of power. Ultimately, Trump and Zuma are best understood as heuristics for the other: figures of thought or learning aids that help in working through a particular problem.
AB - This essay investigates the hazards of comparing Trump and Zuma, invoking “hazard” in its negative as well as potentially positive senses. Focusing on the recurrent association of Trump with (often former) strongmen of the erstwhile Third World–as in the Daily Show’s 2015 segment, “Donald Trump: America’s First African President”–I posit that the critical value of such characterizations is undercut by the assumptions they reveal about Africa and the Global South. But I do not entirely discard the critical utility of comparing Trump and Zuma. I argue instead for a comparison rooted in an understanding of “resonance” (as loose or fleeting similarity), which allows for significant difference, including the very different positions these two actors occupy in the global hierarchy of power. Ultimately, Trump and Zuma are best understood as heuristics for the other: figures of thought or learning aids that help in working through a particular problem.
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U2 - 10.1080/17533171.2020.1832802
DO - 10.1080/17533171.2020.1832802
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85095822721
SN - 1753-3171
VL - 21
SP - 456
EP - 463
JO - Safundi
JF - Safundi
IS - 4
ER -