On the Identity of American Civilization

On the Identity of American Civilization

  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.