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American chameleon : individualism in trans-national context / edited by Richard O. Curry and Lawrence B. Goodheart.
- Format:
- Book
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Individualism.
- Social values.
- United States--Social conditions.
- United States.
- United States--Politics and government--19th century.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (289 pages)
- Place of Publication:
- Kent, OH : Kent State University Press, c1991.
- Summary:
- The concept of individualism that emerged in American society during the late 18th century has long defined America's social, political, and economic institutions. American Chameleon is the first historical work which addresses this concept and its multiple meanings, usages, and contradictions. In this collection of 11 essays, individualism is placed in a comparative, trans-national context that differentiates the American national experience from its European cultural heritage. The authors analyze meanings and usages of individualism in Europe--particularly France, Germany, and Great Britain--in order to clarify those found in American society. Also examined are the limitations of the concept in relation to minority groups and women. A 19th-century perspective of individualism is the central focus of American Chameleon, but the final chapter adds a contemporary dimension. Editors and authors Richard Curry and Lawrence Goodheart herein offer scholars, students and interested citizens new interpretations and a deeper understanding of the past, present, and future of American society itself.
- Contents:
- ""Cover ""; ""Copyright ""; ""Contents ""; ""Acknowledgments ""; ""Individualism in Trans-National Context ""; ""The Emergence of an Individualistic Ethos in American Society ""; ""Religion and Individualism in Early America ""; ""Individualism in the Early Republic ""; ""The Slow Triumph of Liberal Individualism: Law and Politics in New York, 1780-1860 ""; ""The Right to Self-Government: Anti-Institutionalism and Individualism in Abolitionist Thought ""; ""From Assertiveness to Individualism: The Difficult Path from Slavery to Freedom ""
- ""The Ambiguity of Individualism: The National Liberal League's Challenge to the Comstock Law """"Can a Woman Be an Individual? The Discourse of Self-Reliance ""; ""Individualism and National Identity ""; ""A Confusion of Voices: The Crisis of Individualism in Twentieth-Century America ""; ""Notes ""; ""Suggested Reading ""; ""Contributors ""; ""Index ""
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 255-262) and index.
- Description based upon print version of record.
- ISBN:
- 1-61277-055-X
- 0-585-22764-0
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