Exceptional America: What Divides Americans from the World and from Each Other PDF
Preview Exceptional America: What Divides Americans from the World and from Each Other
Exceptional America WHAT DIVIDES AMERICANS FROM THE WORLD AND FROM EACH OTHER Mugambi Jouet UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS additional praise for exceptional america “ Mugambi Jouet traveled from Paris, France, to Houston, Texas, as a college freshman and has been trying to make sense of the American experience ever since. Th e result is a richly textured account of the forces that make the United States unlike anywhere else in the world.” — june carbone, Robina Chair in Law, Science, and Technology, University of Minnesota Law School, and coauthor of Red Families v. Blue Families “ Using a comparative perspective, and seeking to place American values in a larger context, Mugambi Jouet provides perspectives on the pervasive culture war that divides Americans.” — naomi cahn, Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School, and coauthor of Red Families v. Blue Families “ Exceptional America is a seminal work written by a French author from a comparative framework. It is an eye-opening presentation of America’s contradictions, highly relevant in contemporary politics and a must-read for policy makers.” — pashaura singh, Chair, Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Riverside This page intentionally left blank Exceptional America This page intentionally left blank Exceptional America WHAT DIVIDES AMERICANS FROM THE WORLD AND FROM EACH OTHER Mugambi Jouet UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Oakland, California © 2017 by Mugambi Jouet Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Jouet, Mugambi, 1981– author. Title: Exceptional America : what separates Americans from the world and from each other / Mugambi Jouet. Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifi ers: lccn 2016046909 | isbn 9780520293298 (cloth : alk. paper) | isbn 9780520966468 (eBook) Subjects: LCSH: Exceptionalism—United States. | National characteristics, American. | United States—Social policy. | United States—Economic policy. | United States—Politics and government—21st century. Classifi cation: lcc e169.12 .j68 2017 | ddc 973—dc23 lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016046909 Manufactured in the United States of America 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 It is impossible to understand a country without seeing how it varies fr om others. Th ose who know only one country know no country. Seymour Martin Lipset This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Preface ix Introduction 1 1 • One Nation, Divisible 19 2 • From the American Enlightenment to Anti-Intellectualism 43 3 • Th e Exceptional Infl uence of Christian Fundamentalism 80 4 • Th e Culture Wars of Faith, Sex, and Gender 113 5 • Between Democracy and Plutocracy 143 6 • Millions Standing against Th eir Own Economic Interest 168 7 • Mass Incarceration, Executions, and Gun Violence in “the Land of the Free” 194 8 • America and the World 232 Conclusion 261 Acknowledgments 275 Notes 277 Index 343
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