Dogwhistles and Figleaves

It's a scrupulous look at a damaging linguistic phenomenon that often hides in plain sight. * Publishers Weekly * What is interesting about Saul's study is the instability of meaning it reveals, the layers of deception employed not only by speakers, but by listeners, who are occasionally deluding themselves ... clear, engaging and very readable. * Roisin Kiberd, Irish Independent * There is no doubt that our current political climate is posing a threat to democracy. It is not only that we are polarized, but polarization is fueled by an onslaught of (often thinly veiled) manipulative speech and falsehoods. Media consumers absorb distorting messages without even being aware of it, and speakers are not held responsible. Dogwhistles and Figleaves provides an essential tool for seeing how our ability to communicate and to coordinate is being undermined. This theoretically rich and highly readable book is essential for those who value democracy, and the kind of public discourse that makes it possible. * Sally Haslanger, Ford Professor of Philosophy and Women's and Genders Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology * Dogwhistles and Figleaves: How Manipulative Language Spreads Racism and Falsehood is a tour de force, sparked by, and greatly expanding and updating, Jennifer Saul's pioneering articles on the subject. It is a highly original and engaging book at the intersection of philosophy of language, epistemology, and politics that is just what is needed in these times. * Susan J. Brison, Author of Aftermath: Violence and the Remaking of a Self *