The Paradox of Citizenship in American Politics: Ideals and Reality

ISBN-13: 9783319615295 / Angielski / Twarda / 2017 / 265 str.

Mehnaaz Momen

Opis

This book is an exploration of American citizenship, emphasizing the paradoxes that are contained, normalized, and strengthened by the gaps existing between proposed policies and real-life practices in multiple arenas of a citizen's life.

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Recenzje

"On the whole, the book is engagingly written and has much to commend it." (Peter Kivisto, Journal of Citizenship and Globalisation Studies, Vol. 2(1), 2018)

Spis treści

Foreword

 

Preface

 

Introduction

 

Chapter 1  American Identity: Ideals vs. Illusion 

The Rhetoric: The Greek, the Roman, and the British Heritage

The Reality: Rewriting History, Changing Marketplace

The Paradox: Self-identity of the American “People” 

 

Chapter 2  Nation-building: Nation-States vs. Empire

The Rhetoric: Manifest Destiny 

The Reality: Territory Minus the People

The Paradox: Impossible Republic, Elusive Empire  

 

Chapter 3  World Relations: Hegemony vs. Globalization

The Rhetoric: American Exceptionalism 

The Reality: The American Century 

The Paradox: The Cosmopolitan vs. the Patriot 

 

Chapter 4  Immigration: Becoming “Us” versus Remaining “Them”

The Rhetoric: Rules of Inclusion and Exclusion 

The Reality: The Rites of Passage 

The Paradox: Immigration as a Political Tool 

 

Chapter 5  State Power: Technology vs. Technology

The Rhetoric: Transparency and Accountability of Government 

The Reality: Expansion of State Power

The Paradox: Public Engagement, Segregation, and Loss of Civil Liberties

 

Conclusion

O autorze

Mehnaaz Momen is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Texas A & M International University in Laredo, Texas, where she teaches courses in Political Science, Urban Studies, and Public Administration.

Blurb

This book is an exploration of American citizenship, emphasizing the paradoxes that are contained, normalized, and strengthened by the gaps existing between proposed policies and real-life practices in multiple arenas of a citizen’s life. The book considers the evolution of citizenship through the journey of the American nation and its identity, its complexities of racial exclusion, its transformations in response to domestic demands and geopolitical challenges, its changing values captured in immigration policies and practices, and finally its dynamics in terms of the shift in state power vis-à-vis citizens. While it aspires to analyze the meaning of citizenship in America from the multiple perspectives of history, politics, and policy, it pays special attention to the critical junctures where rhetoric and reality clash, allowing for the production of certain paradoxes that define citizenship rights and shape political discourse.