The New American Exceptionalism

Critical American Studies

by Donald E. Pease

For a half century following the end of World War II, the seemingly permanent cold war provided the United States with an organizing logic that governed nearly every aspect of American society and culture, giving rise to an unwavering belief in the nation's exceptionalism in global affairs and world history. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, this cold war paradigm was replaced by a series of new ideological narratives that ultimately resulted in the establishment of another potentially endless the global war on terror. In The New American Exceptionalism , pioneering scholar Donald E. Pease traces the evolution of these state fantasies and shows how they have shaped U.S. national identity since the end of the cold war, uncovering the ideological and cultural work required to convince Americans to surrender their civil liberties in exchange for the illusion of security. His argument follows the chronology of the transitions between paradigms from the inauguration of the New World Order under George H. W. Bush to the homeland security state that George W. Bush's administration installed in the wake of 9/11. Providing clear and convincing arguments about how the concept of American exceptionalism was reformulated and redeployed in this era, Pease examines a wide range of cultural works and political spectacles, including the exorcism of the Vietnam syndrome through victory in the Persian Gulf War and the creation of Islamic extremism as an official state enemy. At the same time, Pease notes that state fantasies cannot altogether conceal the inconsistencies they mask, showing how such events as the revelations of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and the exposure of government incompetence after Hurricane Katrina opened fissures in the myth of exceptionalism, allowing Barack Obama to challenge the homeland security paradigm with an alternative state fantasy that privileges fairness, inclusion, and justice.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Cultural Studies

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Donald E. Pease is the Ted and Helen Geisel Third Century Professor in the Humanities, Chair of the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program, and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College. He is an Americanist, literary and cultural critic, and academic. Pease directs the annual Futures of American Studies Institute at Dartmouth.

Pease is an authority on 19th- and 20th-century American literature and literary theory and the founder and director of the Futures of American Studies Institute. Besides writing numerous books, Pease has written over 100 articles on figures in American and British literature and is the editor of The New Americanist series.

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

really quite interesting. intro was a little theroy heavy for my liking but within the chapters it provided an interesting thesis on the construction of state fantasys, which i found easier to grasp. complicated and thought provoking book.

[Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

P

[Isadora Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Catfantastic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent work on the construction of narratives of American identity after the Cold War. Very densely written, though.

[Mark Middleton · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book has lots of errors; incorrect facts, poor methodology, theories and claims that are poorly proven. I do not recommend this book.