American Mythos: Why Our Best Efforts to Be a Better Nation Fall Short

298 Pages·2008·1.21 MB·English

by  Robert Wuthnow

A m e r i c a n M y t h o s
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Robert Wuthnow
A m e r i c a n M y t h o s
6
WhyOurBestEffortstoBea
BetterNationFallShort
Princeton University Press
Princeton and Oxford
Copyright©2006byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,
Princeton,NewJersey08540
IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,
6OxfordStreet,Woodstock,OxfordshireOX201TW
AllRightsReserved
Thirdprinting,andfirstpaperbackprinting,2008
PaperbackISBN:978-0-691-13855-8
TheLibraryofCongresshascatalogedtheclotheditionofthisbookasfollows
Wuthnow,Robert.
Americanmythos:whyourbesteffortstobeabetter
nationfallshort/RobertWuthnow.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-13:978-0-691-12504-6(hardcover:alk.paper)
ISBN-10:0-691-12504-X(hardcover:alk.paper)
1.Socialvalues—UnitedStates.2.Socialethics—UnitedStates.
3.UnitedStates—Moralconditions.4.Immigrants—UnitedStates.I.Title.
HN90.M6W8672006
303.3′72′0973—dc22 2005018789
BritishLibraryCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailable
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinAldusandCopperplateGothic
Printedonacid-freepaper.∞
press.princeton.edu
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
CHAPTER1 DeepCultureandDemocraticRenewal 12
CHAPTER2 QuandariesofIndividualism 38
CHAPTER3 TheJusticeofPrivilege 79
CHAPTER4 Self-MadeMenandWomen 104
CHAPTER5 InAmerica,AllReligionsAreTrue 128
CHAPTER6 EthnicTiesThatBind(Loosely) 163
CHAPTER7 SavingOurselvesfromMaterialism 192
CHAPTER8 VenuesforReflectiveDemocracy 218
Appendix 235
Notes 239
SelectedBibliography 263
Index 277
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Acknowledgments
M
uch of this book was written during a sabbatical year provided
by Princeton University and a fellowship from the John Simon
GuggenheimMemorialFoundation.Iamgratefultotheuniversityand
the foundation for their support. My editor at Princeton University
Press,TimSullivan,wasajoytoworkwithandprovidedvaluableedito-
rial advice. The two anonymous readers he secured were enormously
helpful, both with specific suggestions and in giving me the confidence
that I had something important to say. Parts of the book were initially
presentedattheMontreatConferenceCenterinNorthCarolinaandas
my presidential address to the Eastern Sociological Society. Both audi-
ences offered comments that have helped me to clarify my arguments.
NatalieSearlandKarenMyersplayedaveryimportantroleinconduct-
ing interviews for the New Elites Project, transcribing the interviews,
and organizing the information from the transcripts. I want especially
tothankthemenandwomenwhomadetimeintheirbusyschedulesto
be interviewed. Indirectly, this book reflects the fact that I work in a
department that includes leading scholars of immigration, especially
AlejandroPortes,PatriciaFernandez-Kelly,MartaTienda,DougMassey,
andTomEspenshade.Theirpresencecontributedtomyinterestinlearn-
ing more about the place of immigrant narratives in American culture.
Thisinterestwasalsoreinforcedbymyworkingwithanumberofgrad-
uatestudents whoseprojectshave focusedontheintersection ofimmi-
grationandreligion.ConversationswithWendyCadge,ElaineEcklund,
andMargaritaMooneywereespeciallyhelpful.Whilewritingthisbook,
Iconvenedagroupofgraduatestudentswhohelpedmesurveytheliter-
atureonimmigrantsuccess.ThisgroupincludedCristinaMora-Torres,
JimGibbon,andSaraNephew.Aftercompletingafirstdraftofthebook,
Ibenefitedfromteachingagraduateseminaroncivilsocietyandanother
seminar on sociology of religion. In both, we read and discussed many
oftheimportantworksthathavebeeninfluentialinmythinkingabout
viii acknowledgments
theissuesconsideredhere.Manyoftheseareidentifiedinbibliographic
notes, but these references cannot begin to indicate the deep personal
andintellectualdebtsIowe.Inthisregard,IwanttothankRichardAlba,
Jeffrey Alexander, Peter Berger, Randall Collins, Paul DiMaggio, Jean
Bethke Elshtain, Amitai Etzioni, Charles Glock, Wendy Griswold, Na-
thanHatch,JamesDavisonHunter,GeorgeKateb,MicheleLamont,Wil-
fred McClay, Mark Noll, Robert Putnam, Michael Schudson, Neil
Smelser,PaulStarr,JeffreyStout,AnnSwidler,AlanWolfe,andViviana
Zelizer.Finally,IespeciallywanttothankRobertBellah,whoseteaching
wasformativemanyyearsagowhenIwasagraduatestudent,andwhose
ideasandwritinghavecontinuedtobeawellspringofinspiration.
A m e r i c a n M y t h o s
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