Inventing American Tradition

The anthropologist Jack David Eller examines the invention (and reinvention) of American traditions across four categories: political traditions, holidays, life-style traditions, and American characters. Taking issue with Eric Hobsbawm's assertion about the fixed nature of invented traditions, Eller argues that what he calls the “‘traditioning’ process” is dynamic and operates through syncretism, addition, elaboration, subtraction, and schism (p. 10). Contending that longing for tradition is heightened during times of transition, he follows others in suggesting that the turn of the twentieth century was a particularly fertile time for traditioning, spurred by the Civil War and immigration, which were threats (real or perceived) to American unity. Eller first investigates such political traditions as the national anthem, the flag, Uncle Sam, and the pledge of allegiance. He turns next to holidays, considering Thanksgiving, Mother's Day, Father's Day, patriotic holidays (Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Veterans Day) and ethnic holidays (St. Patrick's Day, Columbus Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Kwanzaa). In the last half of the book, Eller shifts course to examine “lifestyle traditions” such as Coca-Cola, hamburgers, blue jeans, and the adjective OK, and American characters (Superman, Mickey Mouse, Paul Bunyan, the Lone Ranger, Popeye, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) (p. 180). He concludes that Americans continue to “tradition,” albeit in new ways in a media- and meme-saturated world

Allegiance · Art history · Political science · Politics · Schism · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · History · Law · Mormonism, Religion, and History · Philosophy · Religious studies