About this item
As culture wars pit us against each other, A Great Disorder looks to the myths that have shaped American identity and reveals how they have brought us to the brink of an existential crisis.. Red America and Blue America are so divided they could be two different countries, with wildly diverging views of why government exists and who counts as American. Their ideologies are grounded in different versions of American history, endorsing irreconcilable visions of patriotism and national identity.. A Great Disorder is a bold, urgent work that helps us make sense of today's culture wars through a brilliant reconsideration of America's foundational myths and their use in contemporary politics. Famous for his trilogy on the Myth of the Frontier, Richard Slotkin identifies five myths, born of different eras, that have shaped our conception of what it means to be American: the myths of the Frontier, the Founding, the Civil War (which he breaks into two opposing camps, Emancipation and the Lost Cause) , and the Good War, embodied by the multiethnic platoon fighting for freedom.
About the Author
Richard Slotkin is a cultural critic, historian, and novelist. He is the Olin Professor of English and American Studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, and in 2010 was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professor Slotkin graduated from Brooklyn College, received his Ph. D. in American Civilization from Brown University and started teaching at Wesleyan University in 1966. During his time at Wesleyan he helped to establish both the American studies and the film studies programs. Slotkin has won several awards in recognition of his contributions to the field of American studies. He currently lives in Connecticut, where he continues to write and consult on projects dealing with violence, popular culture and Western America.