American Culture in Peril

American Culture in Peril

by Charles W. Dunn (Editor)
American Culture in Peril

American Culture in Peril

by Charles W. Dunn (Editor)

Hardcover

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Overview

Thirty years ago, Ronald Reagan rode a wave of patriotism to the White House by calling for a return to what he considered to be traditional American values—personal liberty, free markets, and limited government. After the cultural struggles and generational clashes of the 1960s and 70s, it appeared that many Americans were eager to abide by Reagan's set of core American principles. Yet, despite Reagan's continuing popularity, modern America remains widely perceived as a nation weakened by its divisions. While debates over cultural values have been common throughout the country's history, they seem particularly vitriolic today. Some argue that these differences have resulted in a perpetually gridlocked government caught between left and right, red states and blue. Since the American Founding, commonly shared cultural values have been considered to be the glue that would bind the nation's citizens together. However, how do we identify, define and interpret the foundations of American culture in a profoundly divided, pluralistic country?

In American Culture in Peril, Charles W. Dunn assembles top scholars and public intellectuals to examine Reagan's impact on American culture in the twenty-first century. The contributors assess topics vital to our conversations about American culture and society, including changing views of the family, the impact of popular culture, and the evolving relationship between religion, communities, and the state. Others investigate modern liberalism and the possibilities of reclaiming a renewed conservatism today. American Culture in Peril illuminates Reagan's powerful legacy and investigates whether his traditional view of American culture can successfully compete in postmodern America.

Contributors

Hadley Arkes

Paul A. Cantor

Allan Carlson

Jean Bethke Elshtain

Charles R. Kesler

Wilfred M. McClay

Ken Myers


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780813136028
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Publication date: 04/27/2012
Pages: 184
Product dimensions: 5.80(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Charles W. Dunn, distinguished professor of Government at Regent University, is the editor of The Enduring Reagan and The Presidency in the Twenty-first Century. He lives in Virginia Beach, VA.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Introduction: The American Cultural Kaleidoscope Charles W. Dunn 1

Part 1 Ronald Reagan and Modern Culture

Ronald Reagan and Modem Liberalism Charles R. Kesler 13

A Touch for First Principles: Reagan and the Recovery of Culture Hadley Arkes 33

Part 2 Cultural Conflict in America

The Fickle Muse: The Unpredictability of Culture Paul A. Cantor 55

Will the Postfamily Culture Claim America? Allan Carlson 79

The Critic and Culture Jean Bethke Elshtain 97

Part 3 The Possibilities of Cultural Change

Two Cities, How Many Cultures? Ken Myers 115

Sources of Renewal in Twenty first-Century America Wilfred M. McClay 135

List of Contributors 155

Index 159

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