Crowds in American Culture, Society and Politics: A Psychosocial Semiotic Analysis

This book is about the role of crowds in American society, culture, and politics. It builds on Gustave Le Bon’s The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind (published in English in 1895 and thus in the public domain) and describes in detail Sigmund Freud’s 1921 book on group psychology, providing important insights into the nature of crowds.

The book deals with some important aspects of American society, politics, and culture. It seeks to answer questions such as this: What do Trump’s followers (his crowds) see in him and why did so many people become insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, and attack the Capitol in an effort to prevent the counting of the electoral votes leading to the election of Joe Biden? It also considers crowds and cults and the role of crowds in Covid-19 and vaccine hesitancy, and opposition to vaccinations in the United States and elsewhere.

Arthur Asa Berger is Professor Emeritus of Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts at San Francisco State University.