2021, 2023
Nick Dorzweiler
- Wheaton College (MA)
Abstract
In the late 1930s, the National Broadcasting Corporation commissioned the renowned political scientist Harold Lasswell to produce “Human Nature in Action,” a radio show designed to prevent political unrest by habituating listeners to the psychological pressures of American individualism. Uncovering the heretofore unexamined archives of this show, “On Air” not only explains why Lasswell and NBC believed Americans needed such habituation. It also places Lasswell’s show within the context of political science’s larger ambitions to reform American politics, despite its unruly and even irrational nature. This grant will support archival research, conference travel, and writing during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Abstract
In 1939 and 1940, the National Broadcasting Corporation commissioned the renowned political scientist Harold Lasswell to produce "Human Nature in Action", a radio program designed to prevent political unrest by surreptitiously habituating listeners to the psychological pressures of American life. In uncovering the archives of the show, "On Air" not only explains why Lasswell and NBC believed "Human Nature in Action" could accomplish this aim. It also sheds light on the broader efforts of the social sciences – both then and now – to insulate American democracy from what is feared to be its own unruly and even irrational nature.