Americanness

Americans differ widely from one another, yet Simon J. Bronner argues they share a common outlook. This study examines the ideas and ideals that seem to underlie a distinctly American worldview, among them individualism, mobility, materialism, and a focus on what lies ahead. The book opens by tracing how notions of space and time took shape and shifted over the course of American history, then turns to the rise of a modern American culture.

Bronner asks why the United States is often described as having a "victory culture" that runs through its legal system, its military, and its business world. He follows this idea into American football, a sport that flourishes in the United States but has never gained a comparable following abroad. The final section considers consumerism and the drive for private prosperity within a society that considers itself egalitarian.

Drawing on psychology, sociology, ethnology, and history, Bronner looks for explanations of why people both claim and call up ideas they regard as American. The volume is suited to courses in American history, sociology, cultural studies, and American studies.