Critical Insights in American Studies – serie

Exploring the varied approaches to teaching American Studies in Britain today, the contributors in this volume examine how we can use critical pedagogies to empower our students to disrupt the status quo, challenge boundaries and see the United States—and the world—from new perspectives. Using a range of formats, including essays, case studies and dialogues, it explores what American Studies methodologies mean to both staff and students in UK higher education, and the possibilities that they offer in the classroom and beyond.

Exploring the varied approaches to teaching American Studies in Britain today, the contributors in this volume examine how we can use critical pedagogies to empower our students to disrupt the status quo, challenge boundaries and see the United States—and the world—from new perspectives. Using a range of formats, including essays, case studies and dialogues, it explores what American Studies methodologies mean to both staff and students in UK higher education, and the possibilities that they offer in the classroom and beyond.

Examines the Open Door, the most influential U.S. foreign policy of the twentieth centuryIn 1899, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay wrote six world powers calling for an ‘Open Door’ in China that would guarantee equal trading opportunities, curtail colonial annexation, and prevent conflict in the Far East. Within a year, the region had succumbed to renewed colonisation and war, but despite the apparent failure of Hay’s diplomacy, the ideal of the Open Door emerged as the central component of U.S. foreign policy in the twentieth century. Just as visions of ‘Manifest Destiny’ shaped continental expansion in the nineteenth century, Woodrow Wilson used the Open Door to make the case for a world ‘safe for democracy’, Franklin Roosevelt developed it to inspire the fight against totalitarianism and imperialism, and Cold War containment policy envisioned international communism as the latest threat to a global system built upon peace, openness, and exchange. In a concise yet wide-ranging examination of its origins and development, readers will discover how the idea of the Open Door came to define the American Century.Key FeaturesUncovers the ideological wellspring of U.S. foreign policy in the twentieth centuryPresents debates over U.S. foreign policy, including the ‘Wisconsin School’ critique of the Open Door as a mechanism of informal empireReveals both the consistency of U.S. foreign policy thinking and offers a deeper context to critical foreign policy decisionsContextulises the roots of contemporary U.S. policy

Examines the Open Door, the most influential U.S. foreign policy of the twentieth centuryIn 1899, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay wrote six world powers calling for an ‘Open Door’ in China that would guarantee equal trading opportunities, curtail colonial annexation, and prevent conflict in the Far East. Within a year, the region had succumbed to renewed colonisation and war, but despite the apparent failure of Hay’s diplomacy, the ideal of the Open Door emerged as the central component of U.S. foreign policy in the twentieth century. Just as visions of ‘Manifest Destiny’ shaped continental expansion in the nineteenth century, Woodrow Wilson used the Open Door to make the case for a world ‘safe for democracy’, Franklin Roosevelt developed it to inspire the fight against totalitarianism and imperialism, and Cold War containment policy envisioned international communism as the latest threat to a global system built upon peace, openness, and exchange. In a concise yet wide-ranging examination of its origins and development, readers will discover how the idea of the Open Door came to define the American Century.Key FeaturesUncovers the ideological wellspring of U.S. foreign policy in the twentieth centuryPresents debates over U.S. foreign policy, including the ‘Wisconsin School’ critique of the Open Door as a mechanism of informal empireReveals both the consistency of U.S. foreign policy thinking and offers a deeper context to critical foreign policy decisionsContextulises the roots of contemporary U.S. policy

Provides a critical re-evaluation of US territorial expansionism and imperialism from 1783 to the presentThe United States has been described by many of its foreign and domestic critics as an “empire”. Providing a wide-ranging analysis of the United States as a territorial, imperial power from its foundation to the present day, this book explores the United States’ acquisition or long-term occupation of territories through a chronological perspective.  It begins by exploring early continental expansion, such as the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803, and traces US imperialism through to the controversial ongoing presence of US forces at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The book provides fresh insights into the history of US territorial expansion and imperialism, bringing together more well-known instances (such as the purchase of Alaska) with those less-frequently discussed (such as the acquisition of the Guano Islands after 1856). The volume considers key historical debates, controversies and turning points, providing a historiographically-grounded re-evaluation of US expansion from 1783 to the present day.Key FeaturesProvides case studies of different examples of US territorial expansion/imperialism, and adds much-needed context to ongoing debates over US imperialism for students of both History and PoliticsAnalyses many of the better known instances of US imperialism (for example, Cuba and the Philippines), while also considering often-overlooked examples such as the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa and GuamExplores American imperialism from a “territorial acquisition/long-term occupation” viewpoint which differentiates it from many other books that instead focus on informal and economic imperialismDiscusses the presence of the US in key places such as Guantanamo Bay, the Panama Canal Zone and the Arctic

Provides a critical re-evaluation of US territorial expansionism and imperialism from 1783 to the presentThe United States has been described by many of its foreign and domestic critics as an “empire”. Providing a wide-ranging analysis of the United States as a territorial, imperial power from its foundation to the present day, this book explores the United States’ acquisition or long-term occupation of territories through a chronological perspective.  It begins by exploring early continental expansion, such as the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803, and traces US imperialism through to the controversial ongoing presence of US forces at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The book provides fresh insights into the history of US territorial expansion and imperialism, bringing together more well-known instances (such as the purchase of Alaska) with those less-frequently discussed (such as the acquisition of the Guano Islands after 1856). The volume considers key historical debates, controversies and turning points, providing a historiographically-grounded re-evaluation of US expansion from 1783 to the present day.Key FeaturesProvides case studies of different examples of US territorial expansion/imperialism, and adds much-needed context to ongoing debates over US imperialism for students of both History and PoliticsAnalyses many of the better known instances of US imperialism (for example, Cuba and the Philippines), while also considering often-overlooked examples such as the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa and GuamExplores American imperialism from a “territorial acquisition/long-term occupation” viewpoint which differentiates it from many other books that instead focus on informal and economic imperialismDiscusses the presence of the US in key places such as Guantanamo Bay, the Panama Canal Zone and the Arctic

Explores the counter-cultural movement known as the Beat GenerationGives a detailed overview of the movement both in the US and internationallyIncludes chapters on significant women writers such as Diane di Prima, Joanne Kyger and Anne WaldmanCovers readings from John Clellon Holmes, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso to Herbert Huncke, Neal Cassady, Michael McClure and Gary SnyderFocuses on African American writers like LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, Ted Joans and Bob KaufmanThis book pairs close readings with a strong overview of the movement and ranges from Women’s Beat Writing to African American Beats to the canonical texts, including ‘Howl’, On the Road and Naked Lunch.  A closing chapter maps post-Beat writing and the ways Beat has morphed into new, even postmodern, forms.

Explores the counter-cultural movement known as the Beat GenerationGives a detailed overview of the movement both in the US and internationallyIncludes chapters on significant women writers such as Diane di Prima, Joanne Kyger and Anne WaldmanCovers readings from John Clellon Holmes, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso to Herbert Huncke, Neal Cassady, Michael McClure and Gary SnyderFocuses on African American writers like LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, Ted Joans and Bob KaufmanThis book pairs close readings with a strong overview of the movement and ranges from Women’s Beat Writing to African American Beats to the canonical texts, including ‘Howl’, On the Road and Naked Lunch.  A closing chapter maps post-Beat writing and the ways Beat has morphed into new, even postmodern, forms.

Focuses on the intersections between text and photography in the twentieth-century American photo-textThis critical study of the American photo-text focuses on the interaction between text and images in twentieth-century American photography as well as the discourse surrounding image-text collaboration on a wider level. In looking at books designed as collaborative efforts between writers and photographers and by photographer/writers adding their own narrative text, it establishes the photo-text as a genre related to and yet distinct from other documentary efforts. Ranging from documentary studies in the 1930s to post-war examinations of the American landscape, urban and rural, from Dorothea Lange’s photographs of dispossessed migrants in American Exodus (1939), Weegee’s small time hoodlums on the streets of New York in Naked City (1945), to Robert Frank’s Cold War landscapes, this survey constitutes an invaluable entry into how we read the politics of twentieth-century American photography.Key FeaturesExplores through a series of case studies some of the seminal photo-texts of the 1930s, 40s and 50s from documentary realism of the Depression years to post-war studies of the American landscapeExamines photo-texts by Doris Ulmann, Walker Evans, James Agee, Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke White, Wright Morris, Paul Strand, Roy DeCarava and Robert FrankEnables students and scholars of both American photography and literature to rethink the intersections between writing and photography in political as well as aesthetic termsSituates the various case studies with reference to the political, social and economic developments of the period Re-establishes the book form as particularly crucial for an understanding of American Documentary photography

Focuses on the intersections between text and photography in the twentieth-century American photo-textThis critical study of the American photo-text focuses on the interaction between text and images in twentieth-century American photography as well as the discourse surrounding image-text collaboration on a wider level. In looking at books designed as collaborative efforts between writers and photographers and by photographer/writers adding their own narrative text, it establishes the photo-text as a genre related to and yet distinct from other documentary efforts. Ranging from documentary studies in the 1930s to post-war examinations of the American landscape, urban and rural, from Dorothea Lange’s photographs of dispossessed migrants in American Exodus (1939), Weegee’s small time hoodlums on the streets of New York in Naked City (1945), to Robert Frank’s Cold War landscapes, this survey constitutes an invaluable entry into how we read the politics of twentieth-century American photography.Key FeaturesExplores through a series of case studies some of the seminal photo-texts of the 1930s, 40s and 50s from documentary realism of the Depression years to post-war studies of the American landscapeExamines photo-texts by Doris Ulmann, Walker Evans, James Agee, Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke White, Wright Morris, Paul Strand, Roy DeCarava and Robert FrankEnables students and scholars of both American photography and literature to rethink the intersections between writing and photography in political as well as aesthetic termsSituates the various case studies with reference to the political, social and economic developments of the period Re-establishes the book form as particularly crucial for an understanding of American Documentary photography

Provides a concise up-to-date introduction to and overview of black nationalism in American historyThis analytical introduction assesses contrasting definitions of black nationalism in America, thereby providing an overview of its development and varied manifestations across two centuries. Its aim is to evaluate historiographical debates and synthesize a broad range of scholarship, much of it published since the beginning of the new millennium. However, unlike some of that work, this book offers a critical perspective that avoids advocacy or condemnation of black nationalism by examining major black nationalist thinkers, leaders and organizations as well as discussing some lesser-known groups and figures, the nature of black nationalism's appeal and the position of women in and their contributions to black nationalism.Key FeaturesConsiders divergent definitions of black nationalism, providing an understanding of the nature of black nationalismOutlines historiography with an up-to-date assessment of key debates and leading scholarshipConsiders continuity, encouraging discussion of whether black nationalism was essentially unchanging or reflective of particular historical circumstancesLooks beyond leading figures to understand how, why and when black nationalism gained support

Provides a concise up-to-date introduction to and overview of black nationalism in American historyThis analytical introduction assesses contrasting definitions of black nationalism in America, thereby providing an overview of its development and varied manifestations across two centuries. Its aim is to evaluate historiographical debates and synthesize a broad range of scholarship, much of it published since the beginning of the new millennium. However, unlike some of that work, this book offers a critical perspective that avoids advocacy or condemnation of black nationalism by examining major black nationalist thinkers, leaders and organizations as well as discussing some lesser-known groups and figures, the nature of black nationalism's appeal and the position of women in and their contributions to black nationalism.Key FeaturesConsiders divergent definitions of black nationalism, providing an understanding of the nature of black nationalismOutlines historiography with an up-to-date assessment of key debates and leading scholarshipConsiders continuity, encouraging discussion of whether black nationalism was essentially unchanging or reflective of particular historical circumstancesLooks beyond leading figures to understand how, why and when black nationalism gained support

This book analyses the way that changes in the comics industry, book trade and webcomics distribution have shaped the publication of long-form comics. The US Graphic Novel pays particular attention to how the concept of the graphic novel developed through the twentieth century. Art historians, journalists, and reviewers debated whether it was possible for a comic to be a novel debates that accelerated after the term 'graphic novel' was coined by the comics fan Richard Kyle in 1964. This study underlines the proximity of the graphic novel to other media, showing that this cultural form is not only the meeting place between periodical comics and books, but that graphic novels are in dialogue with films, posters and computer screens.

This book analyses the way that changes in the comics industry, book trade and webcomics distribution have shaped the publication of long-form comics. The US Graphic Novel pays particular attention to how the concept of the graphic novel developed through the twentieth century. Art historians, journalists, and reviewers debated whether it was possible for a comic to be a novel debates that accelerated after the term 'graphic novel' was coined by the comics fan Richard Kyle in 1964. This study underlines the proximity of the graphic novel to other media, showing that this cultural form is not only the meeting place between periodical comics and books, but that graphic novels are in dialogue with films, posters and computer screens.

Explores the importance and complexity of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelExplores both the sheer extent and the ideologically-invested nature of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelSheds significant new light on canonical and often-taught major American novelistsSynthesizes and builds on existing research to demonstrate how a proper understanding of each writer’s classical allusiveness contributes to broad debates about modernism and postmodernism, intertextuality and the history and categorization of the American novelDraws on the methodologies and insights of Classical Reception studies as well as American studies, and makes an invaluable contribution to both fieldsIncludes a user-friendly glossary that explains all the classical names, concepts and words This book is an invaluable survey of the allusions to ancient Greek and Roman culture in the work of seven major modern American novelists: Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Philip Roth and Marilynne Robinson. Making the classical world accessible to all readers, it combines new close readings of three key texts by each author with overviews of the essential prior scholarship in the field. It also builds on archival research in documenting the nature and extent of each author’s own familiarity with classical literature and languages.

Explores the importance and complexity of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelExplores both the sheer extent and the ideologically-invested nature of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelSheds significant new light on canonical and often-taught major American novelistsSynthesizes and builds on existing research to demonstrate how a proper understanding of each writer’s classical allusiveness contributes to broad debates about modernism and postmodernism, intertextuality and the history and categorization of the American novelDraws on the methodologies and insights of Classical Reception studies as well as American studies, and makes an invaluable contribution to both fieldsIncludes a user-friendly glossary that explains all the classical names, concepts and wordsThis book is an invaluable survey of the allusions to ancient Greek and Roman culture in the work of seven major modern American novelists: Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Philip Roth and Marilynne Robinson. Making the classical world accessible to all readers, it combines new close readings of three key texts by each author with overviews of the essential prior scholarship in the field. It also builds on archival research in documenting the nature and extent of each author’s own familiarity with classical literature and languages.

Moving beyond border studies paradigms dominated by the Mexico–US border, this collection aims to contextualise cultures and communities within a wider global understanding of border thinking. It builds on recent considerations of, and changes to, the cultural life of (and across) the Canada–US border, to prioritise theoretical reflections on representations, identities and policies. Approaching the border as a place, a theory, a practice and a process, this collection draws attention to the ways in which aspects of the Canada–US border itself (re)frame discussions of the borderlands as sites that continue to evoke, invoke and provoke ideas of nation and post nationalism; negotiation and imposition; resistance and refusal.