Varieties of American Exceptionalism in the Post-American World—What Obama’s ‘Leading from Behind’ Doctrine Teaches Biden—

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-90
Author(s):  
Su-jin Lee ◽  
Shin-wha Lee
Keyword(s):  
American Exceptionalism

Exceptional America

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mugambi Jouet
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
American Exceptionalism ◽  
Wealth Inequality ◽  
Law School ◽  
Gun Control ◽  
Alexis De Tocqueville ◽  
American Conservatism ◽  
The Bible

Americans are far more divided than other Westerners over basic issues, including wealth inequality, health care, climate change, evolution, the literal truth of the Bible, apocalyptical prophecies, gender roles, abortion, gay rights, sexual education, gun control, mass incarceration, the death penalty, torture, human rights, and war. The intense polarization of U.S. conservatives and liberals has become a key dimension of American exceptionalism—an idea widely misunderstood as American superiority. It is rather what makes America an exception, for better or worse. While exceptionalism once was largely a source of strength, it may now spell decline, as unique features of U.S. history, politics, law, culture, religion, and race relations foster grave conflicts and injustices. They also shed light on the peculiar ideological evolution of American conservatism, which long predated Trumpism. Anti-intellectualism, conspiracy-mongering, radical anti-governmentalism, and Christian fundamentalism are far more common in America than Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Drawing inspiration from Alexis de Tocqueville, Mugambi Jouet explores American exceptionalism’s intriguing roots as a multicultural outsider-insider. Raised in Paris by a French mother and Kenyan father, he then lived throughout America, from the Bible Belt to New York, California, and beyond. His articles have notably been featured in The New Republic, Slate, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Huffington Post, and Le Monde. He teaches at Stanford Law School.

Is there an American Exceptionalism?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Damberg
Keyword(s):  
Religious Life ◽  
American Exceptionalism ◽  
Detailed Data ◽  
State Culture ◽  
The World ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Religious Nation ◽  
State Relations ◽  
Religious Subcultures ◽  
Catholic Churches

This chapter on the development of US and German Catholicism in the second half of the twentieth century till 2015 traces two paths of religious modernization. The legacy of the religious subcultures of the nineteenth century in both nations was quite similar. However, after 1945 the Catholics followed different tracks, which are often interpreted as ‘secularization’ versus ‘exceptional’ booming religious life. More detailed data show that this argument is quite short-sighted: both Catholic Churches adjusted in the first place to the different developments of the nations of which they are a part (church–state relations, welfare state, culture, etc.), although, since the millennium, a deep (generational?) crisis of membership on both sides of the Atlantic can be identified. So from this argument it can be concluded that the USA is not a religious nation that is separate from the rest of the world.

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