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1、American Culture,About the Course,Requirements of this course Pre-read the relevant materials Take an active part in the discussion in class (40%) Write a course paper at the end of the term (60%),American Identity,Two partial truths about American national identity America is a nation of immigrants
2、. American identity is defined soley by the American Creed. In a word, two key elements of American national identity: immigration and the Creed,The changing roles of four components of American identity in history Ethnicity Race Culture Ideology or political element,Central elements of American cul
3、ture The Christian religion Protestant values and moralism A work ethic The English language British traditions of law, justice, and the limits of government power A legacy of European art, literature, philosophy, and music,The American Creed Liberty Equality Individualism Representative government
4、Private property,Differences between settlers and immigrants Settlers: leave an existing society to create a new society; move in a group; have a sense of collective purpose; agree on a compact or charter; have a collective relation to mother country Immigrants:move from one society to a different s
5、ociety; a personal process; individually define their relation to their old and new countries,The change in the meaning of colony Original sense: a settlement created by people who leave a mother country and travel elsewhere to establish a new society on a distant land Later meaning: a territory and
6、 its indigenous people ruled by the government of another people,Territory is insignificant in the national identity of Americans. Land has been plentiful and cheap. The land that was America was ever changing.,The authors main ideas Originally, America was not a nation of immigrants, but a society
7、or societies of settlers. In the history, American identity has had several components. Besides the Creed, other factors, such as race and ethnicity, have also played a central role.,Anglo-Protestant culture is the paramount defining element of American identity. Territorial identity is weak or miss
8、ing in America. Americans have not developed intense attachments to particular localities.,Anglo-Protestant Culture,Kinds of culture: national culture; subculture Subcultures: defined by religion, race, ethnicity, region, class, etc. National culture: established by the founding settlers from Britai
9、n; the central and the lasting component of American identity,Central elements of national culture Protestant values (Protestantism) Language principles of government manners and customs,Change of the connotation of mainstream culture from Protestantism to Christianity;,The dissidence of dissent A d
10、escription of both the history and the character of American Protestantism The difference between American Protestantism and European Protestantism The fierce spirit of liberty among Americans Characterized by religious passion and evangelism,Evangelism（基督教福音派）: a Christiam belief that emphasizes th
11、e authority of the Bible and the importance of people being saved by through faith Populism（民粹主义）: a type of politics that claims to represent the opinions and wishes of ordinary people,The Rise of Subnational Identities,The image of America before 1960s A nation of individuals with equal rights, wh
12、o shared a primarily Anglo-Protestant core culture, and were dedicated to the liberal-democratic principles of the American Creed Meting pot; tomato soup,The image of America during and after 1960s A conglomerate of different races, ethnicities, and subnational cultures; group membership A mosaic; a
13、 salad of diverse peoples,Major ideas of deconstructionists Maintain the immmigrants birth country cultures Grant the immigrants legal privileges Denounce the idea of Americanization Rewrite history syllabi and textbooks,Substitute the history of subnational groups for national history Push bilingua
14、l education and linguistic diversity Advocate legal recognition of group rights and racial preferences Advocate multiculturalism and diversity,Cultural pluralism（文化多元性）vs multiculturalism（多元文化主义） Cultural pluralism: recognition of the existence of many different groups of people in one society; the
15、belief that it is possible and good for them to live together in peace in one society.,Multiculturalism: existence of no predominant culture; equality of different cultures in one society,Cultural Wars Racial preferences Bilingualism Multiculturalism Immigration Assimilation National history standar
16、ds,English as the official languae (the English-Only Movement or Official English Movement) Eurocentrism Nature of the Deconstructionist Movements Americas elite,Factors responsible for the emergence of the deconstructionist movements The global rise of more limited subnational identities The end of
17、 the Cold War Political calculations Interests of the leaders and aspiring leaders of minority groups,Bureaucratic imperatives Liberal political beliefs The formal de-ligitimation of race and ethnicity as components of national identity,Political and intellectual controversy over the deconstructioni
18、st movement Pros Cons Sept.11 terrorist attack,Major challenges 1. Challenge to American Creed The gap between ideal and reality: slavery, discrimination, segregation The change of the society Reform measures Affirmative discrimination; reverse discrimination Race-based programs,Mexican Immigration
19、and Hispanization,A culturally bifurcated Anglo-Hispanic society with two national languages? Multiculturalism Diversity of opinions Bilingual education Affirmative action Mexican immigration,Factors of the Uniqueness of Mexican Immigration,Contiguity A long Mexican-American open border; difference
20、in economy (between a First World country and a Third World country); the huge income gap; trans-border communities,Numbers Dominant source of immigrants: a large number of legal immigrants and illegal immigrants 2/3 of Hispanics More numerous than blacks 25% of the total population by 2040,Illegali
21、ty More than half of the total illegal population in USA Regional concentration Tendency to concentrate in certain regions Slow assimilation,Persistence Sustained high levels of immigration Consequences: chain migration; increase of political influence; obstacle to assimilation Historical presence I
22、nvasion of Mexico by USA in history A historical claim to American territory,Mexican Assimilation,Lag behind in various aspects Language: bilingual; different attitudes towards ancestral language; pride in Spanish language competence Education: low rate of high school graduation; fewer years of scho
23、oling; a higher proportion of high school dropouts; a lower proportion of college attendees,Occupation and income: low socioeconomic status; low rates of self-employment; high poverty rates; high welfare rates Citizenship: lowest naturalization rate; illegal immigrants Intermarriage: lower interethn
24、ic marriage rate,Identity: a weak identification with America;,Reconquista: a Spanish word for “reconquest”, meaning recapturing. Ellis Island: An island of Upper New York Bay southwest of Manhattan. It was the chief immigration station of the United States from 1892 to 1943. Officially closed in 1954, the site was designated a National Monument in 1965.,