A New American Creed : The Eclipse of Citizenship and Rise of Populism / David H. Kamens.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kamens, David H., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political culture--United States.

Political culture.

Citizenship--United States.

Citizenship.

Individualism--United States.

Individualism.

United States--Politics and government.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (322 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, CA : Stanford University Press, [2020]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A new American creed has reconstructed the social contract. Generations from 1890 to 1940 took for granted that citizenship entailed voting, volunteering, religiosity, and civic consciousness. Conspicuously, the WWII generation introduced collectivist notions of civic obligations—but such obligations have since become regarded as options. In this book, David H. Kamens takes this basic shift as his starting point for exploring numerous trends in American political culture from the 1930s to the present day. Drawing on and synthesizing an enormous array of primary and secondary materials, Kamens examines the critical role of macro social changes, such as the growth and expansion of government and education, often in response to the emergence of globalization. From these tectonic shifts erupted numerous ripple effects, such as the decline of traditional citizen values, the rise of individualism, loss of trust in institutions, anti-elitism, and dramatic political polarization. In this context, antagonism to government as an enemy of personal freedom grew, creating a space for populist movements to blossom, unrestrained by traditional political parties. Beyond painting a comprehensive picture of our current political landscape, Kamens offers an invaluable archive documenting the steps that got us here.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. The United States in Comparative Perspective

Chapter 3. The Embedded State

Chapter 4. The Collectivist Moment

Chapter 5. The Liberal Activist Society

Chapter 6. The Intensification of Individualism and the Displacement of Citizenship

Chapter 7. The Growth of Big Government and the Conservative Counterattack

Chapter 8. The Breakup of the Postwar Order

Chapter 9. The Intensification of Populism and the Declining Legitimacy of Elites

Chapter 10. From Consensus to Culture Wars

Chapter 11. Conclusion

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Jul 2020)

ISBN:

9781503609549

1503609545

OCLC:

1178769971