The American Civilizing Process

Description

Since 9/11, the American government has presumed to speak and act in the name of ‘civilization’. But isthat how the rest of the world sees it? And if not, why not? Stephen Mennell leads up to such contemporary questions through a careful study of the whole span of American development, from the first settlers to the American Empire. He takes a novel approach, analysing the USA’s experience in the light of Norbert Elias’s theory of civilizing (and decivilizing) processes. Mennell shows how the long-term experience of Americans has been of growing more and more powerful in relation to their neighbours. This has had all-pervasive effects on the way they see themselves, their perception of the rest of the world, and how the rest of the world sees them. Mennell’s compelling and provocative account will appeal to anyone concerned about America's role in the world today, including students and scholars of American politics and society. Contents Preface Prologue: Civilizing Processes 1 ‘American Civilization’ 2 ‘Fellow Americans’ and Outsiders 3 American Manners Under Scrutiny 4 American Aristocracies 5 The Market Society 6 Violence and Aggressiveness 7 And Wilderness is Paradise Enow: From Settlements to Independence 8 But Westward, Look, the Land is Bright: From Frontier to Empire 9 Integration Struggles 10 The Curse of the American Dream 11 Involvement, Detachment and American Religiosity 12 America and Humanity as a Whole Notes References Index