American History in a Global Age1
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4495580 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Johann N Neem (0000-0003-1651-1924, Western Washington University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 41-70 |
| Publication date | 2011-02-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History and Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-2656 • E-ISSN: 1468-2303 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1468-2303.2011.00567.x |
| OpenAlex | W2041984959 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
Historians around the world have sought to move beyond national history. In doing so, they often conflate ethical and methodological arguments against national history. This essay, first, draws a clear line between the ethical and the methodological arguments concerning national history. It then offers a rationale for the continued writing of national history in general, and American history in particular, in today's global age.The essay makes two main points. First, it argues that nationalism, and thus the national histories that sustain national identities, are vital to liberal democratic societies because they ensure the social bonds necessary to enable democratic citizens to sacrifice their immediate interests for the common good. The essay then argues that new methodological and historical work on the history of nations and nationalism has proven that nations are as real as any other historical group. Rejecting national history on critics' terms would require rejecting the history of all groups. Instead, new methods of studying nations and nationalism have reinforced rather than undermined the legitimacy of national history within the discipline
Democracy · Legitimacy · National history · National identity · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Sacrifice · Sociology · World history · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Canadian Identity and History · History · Law
| Citations per year | 0.36 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2012 - 2025 (14) |
| Highly cited | No |