The labyrinth of North American identities / Philip Resnick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Resnick, Philip.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Transnationalism.

Social aspects.

Group identity.

North America--Civilization.

North America.

Civilization.

Group identity--North America.

Transnationalism--Social aspects--North America.

National characteristics, American.

National characteristics, Canadian.

National characteristics, Mexican.

Physical Description:

xvii, 155 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

[Toronto] : University of Toronto Press, [2012]

Summary:

What exactly does it mean to be North American? Europeans have been engaged in a long-running debate about the meaning and nature of Europe. The Labyrinth of North American Identities generates a similar discussion in the context of North America: what do we learn about North America as a unit and its individual countries when we explore the idea of a North American identity? Combining cultural, anthropological, historical, political, economic, and religious considerations, Philip Resnick-acknowledges the relative differences in power and influence of the United States and its North American neighbours but digs deeper to uncover shared characteristics that constitute a labyrinth of North American identities unrestricted by national boundaries.

To date, discussions of North America have largely revolved around the often technical implications of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or US homeland security. What has been lacking, by contrast, is a culturally-driven set of reflections. This book examines the legacy of indigenous cultures; the role of organized religion; pathways to independence; the role of imperial languages; manifest destiny; market capitalism and its limitations; democratic practices and failures; diverging uses of the state; new world Utopias and dystopias; regional identities; and civilizational perspectives. What results is a vision of North America that defies any top-down attempt to impose a homogeneous "North Americanness." Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Quetzalcoatl's Heirs 1

2 Chosen Peoples 11

3 Trajectories to Independence 21

4 "Language Has Always Been the Perfect Instrument of Empire" 31

5 Manifest Destiny and the Fate of a Continent 43

6 Market Society and Possessive Individualism 51

7 Democracy and Its Discontents 65

8 The Protean State 77

9 New World Utopias and Dystopias 89

10 An Archipelago of Regions 101

11 A Norm American Civilization? 111

12 Dwellers of the Labyrinth 123.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 133-149) and index.

ISBN:

9781442605527

1442605529

OCLC:

778189887