Religion and Politics the American Way
The Exemplary William Dean Howells
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10437147 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas S Engeman (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2001 |
| Volume | 63 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 107-128 |
| Publication date | 2001-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Review of Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0034-6705 • E-ISSN: 1748-6858 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0034670500030539 |
| OpenAlex | W2025089572 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
Recent scholars have sought to reexamine the influence of religion on American political thought and practice. Contrary to the Progressives, who found the American tradition wholly secular, these scholars argue that the American Founders accepted the principle that liberal political institutions require the active presence and participation of religious groups in society for their success. The Founders agreed with the communitarian writers beginning with Alexis de Tocqueville who criticized the alienation and weakness of modern individualism. There is a renewed interest in the study of literature as a mode of social analysis and theoretical speculation. The realist writer William Dean Howells (1837–1920) is widely regarded as a remarkably accurate observer of American mores. The conflict between Christianity and liberal individualism figures prominently in his work. Howells's novels offer a series of informed reflections on the once central dialogue between religion and liberalism in American life
Alienation · Environmental ethics · Individualism · Liberalism · Mores · Political science · Politics · Politics of the United States · Social science · Sociology · Speculation · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies
American exceptionalism
The Blithedale Romance
Democracy in America
Shaping Modern Liberalism
The Federalist
American Politics
A Letter Concerning Toleration
The Promise of American Life
The Realism of William Dean Howells, 1889-1920
The American Mind
Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
Main Currents in American Thought
Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, 1730-1805
The Quiet Rebel
Reconsidering American Liberalism
The Lost Soul of American Politics
William Dean Howells
Hythloday's Utopia and More's England
The Moral Foundations of the American Republic
Dreiser Looks at Russia
The Myth of American Individualism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |