On the Identity of American Civilization
On the Identity of American Civilization
- 한국외국어대학교 영미연구소
- 영미연구
- 제12집
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2005.06153 - 193 (41 pages)
- 9
This paper considers a number of approaches to the civilizational identity of America before and after the end of the Cold War. It begins by critically unpacking two ideological words ? “culturalism” and the rebarbative “civilizationalism” ? that have circulated in public discourse in the United States since the infamous terrorist attacks of 9/11. Then three important and very different approaches to American civilization are summarized. This leads to a consideration of four interpretations of the destiny of American civilization. Two argue for its eventual decline or collapse; two for its continuation into an indefinite future. A number of conclusions are offered at the end of the paper concerning the study of American civilization in comparative context beyond the unit of the nation-state, the methodology of civilizational studies, the need for attention to both civilizing and decivilizing processes in analysis, and evaluating American civilization in the contexts of globalization and late modernity.
1. Introduction<BR>2. Three Approaches to the Civilizational Identity of America<BR>3. The destiny of American civilization<BR>4. Conclusions<BR>Works Cited<BR>Abstract<BR>
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