America Within or Without
Keywords:
American nationalism, Anatol Lieven, American exceptionalism, American Studies, national identityAbstract
This article analyzes Anatol Lieven's book 'America Right or Wrong: An Anatomy of American Nationalism' through the lens of a non-American scholar. The paper explores how foreign perspectives on American nationalism challenge the notion of American exceptionalism and contribute to the field of American Studies. The paper contends that Lieven's work provides a critical examination of the dual strands of American nationalism—the universalizing American Creed and its reactionary antithesis—and their impact on U.S. identity and foreign relations. This study examines the reception of Lieven's book, highlighting how variations of American nationalism have influenced its interpretation. The article argues that Lieven's contextualization of American nationalism within European historical frameworks offers valuable insights for both scholars and intellectuals. The significance of this work lies in its call for American intellectuals to confront their own nationalism and embrace higher universal values.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
References
Denning, Michael. "‘The Special American Conditions’: Marxism and American Studies." American Quarterly 38.3 (1986): 355-380.
Desmond, Jane C. and Virginia R. Dominguez. "Resituating American Studies in a Critical Internationalism." American Quarterly 48.3 (1996): 475-90.
Giles, Paul. "Virtual Americas: The Internationalization of American Studies and the Ideology of Exchange." American Quarterly 50.3 (1998): 523-547.
———. "Response to the Presidential Address to the American Studies Association,
Hartford, Connecticut, October 17, 2003." American Quarterly 56.1 (2004): 19-32.
Gross, Robert A. "The Transnational Turn: Rediscovering American Studies a in Wider World." Journal of American Studies 34.3 (2000): 373-393.
Lieven, Anatol. Letter. Nation 29 Nov. 2004: 2.
———. "Empire State Building." Rev. of "American Empire: The Realities and
Consequences of U.S. Diplomacy" by Andrew J. Bacevich. Washington Monthly Jan - Feb. 2003: 58-60.
McFaul, Michael. Letter. Nation 29 Nov. 2004: 2.
Michelini, Melissa. "An Atlantic Bond Undone?: Ties between Great Britain and the United States." Berkeley Political Review Jan. 2004: 32.
Pease, Donald E. "C.L.R James, Moby-Dick, and the Emergence of Transnational American
Studies." The Futures of American Studies. Ed. Donald E. Pease and Robyn Wiegman. Durham: Duke UP, 2002. 135-163.
Radway, Janice. "What’s in a Name?" The Futures of American Studies. Ed. Donald E. Pease and Robyn Wiegman. Durham: Duke University Press, 2002. 135-163.
Tepperman, Jonathan. "The Anti-Anti-Americans." New York Times 12 Dec. 2004, late ed., sec.7:24.
