WhyhavesomanyfiguresthroughoutAmericanhistoryproclaimedtheirlifestorieswhenconfrontedbygreatpoliticalproblems?TheClaimsofExperienceprovidesanewtheoryforwhatmakesautobiographypoliticalthroughoutthehistoryoftheUnitedStatesandtoday.Acrossfivechapters,NolanBennettexaminesthedemocraticchallengesthatencouragedadiversecastoffigurestobeartheirstories:BenjaminFranklinamidtherevolutionaryera,FrederickDouglassintheantebellumandabolitionistmovements,HenryAdamsintheGildedAgeanditsanxietiesofindustrialchange,EmmaGoldmanamongthefirstRedScareandstateoppositiontoradicalspeech,andWhittakerChambersamidthesecondRedScarethatinitiatedtheanticommunistturnofmodernconservatism.ThesehistoricalfiguresmadewhatBennettcallsa“claimofexperience.“Byproclaimingtheirlifestories,theseauthorstookbackauthorityovertheirexperiencesfromprevailingpoliticalpowers,andcalledtonewcommunityamongtheiraudiences.Theirclaimssoughttorestoretoreadersthepowertoremakeandmakemeaningoftheirownlives.Whereaspoliticaltheoristsandactivistshaveoftenseenautobiographytobetooindividualistorameredocumentarysourceofevidence,thistheoryrevealsthedemocraticpowerthatlifenarrativeshaveofferedthoseonthemarginsandinthemainstream.Iftheyaresuccessful,claimsofexperiencesummonnewpopularauthoritytosurpasswhattheirauthorsseeastheinjusticesofprevailingAmericaninstitutionsandidentity.Bennettshowsthroughhistoricalstudyandtheorizationhowthisrenewedappreciationforthepoliticsoflifewritingelevatestheseauthors’distinctdemocraticvisionswhiledrawingcommonthemesacrossthem.Thisbookoffersbothamethodforunderstandingthepoliticsoflifenarrativeandacalltoanticipateclaimsofexperienceastheyappeartoday.
