American society today provides a balanced introduction to the defining features of contemporary American society. Includes the ways in which the US can be considered 'exceptional' - the character of the 'American dream', the role of ethnicity and race, and the differences between the regions. Considers in depth a number of contemporary debates including the claim that the US economy has lost its capacity to generate wealth and stimulate mobility, that there has been a process of civic disengagement as voluntary organisations have lost members, and that the traditional family is in decline....

"The Bush Administration, Sex and the Moral Agenda" considers the policy of the George W. Bush administration towards issues such as abortion, sex education, obscenity and same-sex marriage. The book suggests that although accounts have often emphasised the ties between George W. Bush and the Christian Right, the administration's strategy was, at least until early 2005, largely directed towards the courting of middle ground opinion

Images and accounts of the Mexican - US migration process and the border region abound. Representations of border crossers, plans for the construction of a security fence, the shifting economic relationship between the US and its southern neighbors, and the changing character of the Rio Grande area have played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary political discourse. The Politics, Economics, and Culture of Mexican-US Migration, which has attracted contributors from four different countries, offers multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary evaluations of these developments. It also considers...

This volume assumes no prior knowledge of the subject. For students who have never studied American Studies before, it will give an idea of what to expect. For students already studying American Studies at school or college, it will provide a concise but comprehensive learning aid.Part One concentrates on defining American Studies, introducing key concepts and looking at American Studies as an academic subject. It covers core subjects taught in most American Studies degrees. Topics surveyed include the idea of America, history, politics, the US and the world, geography, society, literature,...

The Right and the recession considers the ways in which conservative activists, groupings, parties and interests in the US and Britain responded to the financial crisis and the 'Great Recession' that followed in its wake.
The book not only outlines events and developments but argues that the tensions and stresses between different ideas, interests and institutions were pivotal in structuring the character of political outcomes. Thus, within the US, the forms of policy pursued by Republicans and their efforts to block President Obama's agenda were for the most part shaped by the tensions...

This edited volume considers the extent to which the Obama presidency matched the promises of hope and change that were held out in the 2008 election.

Images and accounts of the Mexican - US migration process and the border region abound.

This book considers the reasons for Donald Trump's surprise victory in the 2016 presidential election. It charts the prolonged campaign and the realigning processes that took place, analysing the ideas that defined the Trump platform, the electoral shifts in states regarded as solid 'firewalls' for the Democratic Party and the responses of Republican Party elites.

Although he is subject to contradictory pressures, the book places Trump firmly within the right-wing populist tradition. However, it argues that the sentiments that drove his campaign were not only a response to economic fears,...