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Seeing Obama, Projecting Kennedy: The Presence of JFK in Images of Barack Obama

Frame, Gregory

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Abstract

During the 2008 election campaign Obama's youth, his glamorous wife, young children, and liberal politics resuscitated the memory of Kennedy, who remains the benchmark of the presidential image. This article explores how Obama shapes himself in Kennedy's image. Employing Freud's concept of the 'ego-ideal', the article examines how Obama has sought to establish himself as Kennedy's natural successor through his presentation and performance. The article compares the representation of the two presidents in the works of Annie Leibovitz, Stanley Tretick, and Richard Avedon, as well as the documentaries Primary (1960) and By the People (2009).

Citation

Frame, G. (2012). Seeing Obama, Projecting Kennedy: The Presence of JFK in Images of Barack Obama. Comparative American Studies, 10(2-3), 163-176. https://doi.org/10.1179/1477570012Z.00000000012

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Nov 22, 2013
Publication Date Oct 9, 2012
Deposit Date May 18, 2023
Publicly Available Date May 25, 2023
Journal Comparative American Studies
Print ISSN 1477-5700
Electronic ISSN 1741-2676
Publisher Taylor and Francis
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 10
Issue 2-3
Pages 163-176
DOI https://doi.org/10.1179/1477570012Z.00000000012
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/19007962
Publisher URL https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/1477570012Z.00000000012

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