Abstract
A recent essay in Harper’s Magazine, written by Daniel T. Rodgers, begins with the statement “American exceptionalism is in the news once again,” 15 and then goes on to show why such grand narratives are no longer valid in a postmodern world. Rogers explains how exceptionalist narratives help to construct an imagined nation, transforming the limited, local contexts of everyday life into a singular, nationally bounded consciousness. Such narratives tend to generalize and mythologize situations so as to simplify reality and silence and marginalize parts of a nation’s past. And they are built on an exaggerated focus on the “other,” indicating not just uniqueness, a difference from the other, but a deviation from the rules that apply everywhere else but not in the exceptional nation. At any rate, grand narratives have broken down into a confusing amalgam of competing small narratives: “If there is no universal historical law, there can be no exceptions—no exceptional nations and no exceptional histories” 18 .
References
- Baym, N, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed., vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1994.
- Conn, Peter. Literature in America: An Illustrated History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
- Cullen, Jim. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Delbanco, Andrew. The real American Dream. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999.
- Devine, Philip E. Human Diversity and the Culture Wars: A Philosophical Perspective On Contemporary Cultural Conflict. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1996.
- Faludi, Susan. Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Male. New York: Morrow, 1999.
- Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction. London and New York: Routledge, 1988.
- Jameson, Fredric. Postmodernism of the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. London: Verso, 1984.
- Leitch, Vincent B. Cultural Criticism, Literary Theory, Poststructuralism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1992.
- Ryan, John and William H. Wentworth. Media and Society: The Production of Culture in The Mass Media. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1999.
- Stephanson, Anders. Manifest Destiny: American Expansionism and the Empire of Right. .New York: Hill & Wang, 1995.
Abstract
References
- Baym, N, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed., vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1994.
- Conn, Peter. Literature in America: An Illustrated History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
- Cullen, Jim. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Delbanco, Andrew. The real American Dream. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999.
- Devine, Philip E. Human Diversity and the Culture Wars: A Philosophical Perspective On Contemporary Cultural Conflict. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1996.
- Faludi, Susan. Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Male. New York: Morrow, 1999.
- Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction. London and New York: Routledge, 1988.
- Jameson, Fredric. Postmodernism of the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. London: Verso, 1984.
- Leitch, Vincent B. Cultural Criticism, Literary Theory, Poststructuralism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1992.
- Ryan, John and William H. Wentworth. Media and Society: The Production of Culture in The Mass Media. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1999.
- Stephanson, Anders. Manifest Destiny: American Expansionism and the Empire of Right. .New York: Hill & Wang, 1995.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | April 1, 2004 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2004 Issue: 19 |
JAST - Journal of American Studies of Turkey