Americanism

What is Americanism?

The contributors to this volume recognize Americanism in all its complexity — as an ideology, an articulation of the nation’s rightful place in the world, a set of traditions, a political language, and a cultural style imbued with political meaning. In response to the pervasive vision of Americanism as a battle cry or a smug assumption, this collection of essays stirs up new questions and debates that challenge us to rethink the model currently being exported, too often by force, to the rest of the world.

Structure of the Volume

Crafted by a cast of both rising and renowned intellectuals from three continents, the twelve essays in this volume are divided into two sections. The first group of essays addresses the understanding of Americanism within the United States over the past two centuries, from the early republic to the war in Iraq. The second section provides perspectives from around the world in an effort to make sense of how the national creed and its critics have shaped diplomacy, war, and global culture in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Approaching a controversial ideology as both scholars and citizens, many of the essayists call for a revival of the ideals of Americanism in a new progressive politics that can bring together an increasingly polarized and fragmented citizenry.

Contributors

Mia Bay, Rutgers University

Jun Furuya, Hokkaido University, Japan

Gary Gerstle, University of Maryland

Jonathan M. Hansen, Harvard University

Michael Kazin, Georgetown University

Rob Kroes, University of Amsterdam

Melani McAlister, The George Washington University

Joseph A. McCartin, Georgetown University

Alan McPherson, Howard University

Louis Menand, Harvard University

Mae M. Ngai, University of Chicago

Robert Shalhope, University of Oklahoma

Stephen J. Whitfield, Brandeis University

Alan Wolfe, Boston College