Renewing Feminisms: Radical Narratives, Fantasies and Futures in Media Studies

Abstract

In *Madness at the Gates of the City: The Myth of American Innocence*, Barry Spector explores the fractured psyche of contemporary America through a Jungian lens. Spector argues that centuries of suppressing disorder have fostered a culture rife with consumerism, environmental degradation, fundamentalism, perpetual war, genocide, and racism. Drawing parallels to late Roman society, marked by social and spiritual schisms, he posits that American civilization is on the brink of collapse unless it reconnects with soul-nourishing myths. Spector identifies two dominant forces within the American psyche: the "paranoid imagination" and the "predatory imagination," which have nearly consumed the nation's creative potential. He contends that true healing requires a reconnection to mythic narratives capable of fostering "soul-making." Influenced by post-Jungian psychologist James Hillman, Spector emphasizes the transformative power of the imagination in addressing societal fragmentation. Through this analysis, *Madness at the Gates of the City* offers a profound critique of American cultural and psychological disarray, advocating for a reimagining of national identity rooted in deeper spiritual and mythic foundations.

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