• Preface by James M. Jasper


• Introduction: Politics as Character Work


• Part One: How We Imagine Characters


• Chapter 1: The Art of the Word


• Chapter 2: Sights and Sounds of Characters


• Chapter 3: The Psychology of Creating Persons


• Chapter 4: Arenas of Character Work


• Part Two: The Primary Characters


• Chapter 5: We Fear Villains


• Chapter 6: Ridicule and Contempt for Minions


• Chapter 7: We Admire Heroes


• Chapter 8: We Pity Victims


• Part Three: Variations and Transformations


• Chapter 9: From Victims to Heroes


• Chapter 10: Beyond Characters?


• Conclusion: The Politics of Blame: A Dialogue


• Appendix: Unsettling Humor

James M. Jasper divides his time between the Graduate Center at the City University of New York, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence. He writes about culture and politics, and his most recent books are The Emotions of Protest and Protestors and their Targets.
Michael P. Young is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. He writes about religion and social movements in the United States. He is the author of Bearing Witness against Sin and a forthcoming book on how DREAMers radicalized the immigrant rights movement.
Elke Zuern is Professor of Politics at Sarah Lawrence College. She writes about democracy and inequality, movements and memorials, with a focus on South Africa and Namibia. She is the author of The Politics of Necessity: Community Organizing and Democracy in South Africa.

Heroes, villains, victims, and minions have been the building blocks of moral and political reputations throughout human history. In Public Characters, the authors look at visual images, music, and words to show the techniques by which these characters get constructed. They also trace the impact of these public characters in politics, including the 2016 triumph of Donald J. Trump through his ability to cast opponents as villains and minions.