American Studies

Table of contents

Introduction

Page 3

America - the role of American Studies

Page 3

Perception of America in the world - The sense of living in the Eagle's shadow

Page 5

American development - a parable of modern development

Page 6

Fact and Dream

Page 6

Introduction

The following pages will briefly sum up, why I believe American Studies is vital in 2005. Although American Studies has always been and still represents a major role in the course of my studies, I have never explicitly focused my interest on this essential issue, essential as it characterises the motive of studying the United States in all its aspects.

America - the role of American Studies

'America: a place that is very rich and shoots lots of guns [...] Friend or foe, rich or poor, foreigners tend to fear America for its awesome military power even as they are dazzled by its shimmering wealth.' The outsiders' perception of America is varied and stretches from praise to criticism. American Studies offers fundamental reference for understanding the fascination and loathing about a continent that was once praised as the City on the Hill, as the Land of the New Start and which stood and stands for Democracy, Liberty and Opportunity, but simultaneously has been waging wars around the globe causing the deaths of countless people, it offers help for understanding that 'since Thomas More and before, America has been both Utopia and Dystopia for those in other lands' .

The horror of what happened on September 11, the terrible explosions and fires that killed more than three thousand people in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, created a great urgency and focus on American perception in the world.

One central part of the American Studies is the interpretation of the American history, as it shapes our present and future. Douglas Greybill Adair once said, that 'history is a dialogue in the present with the past about the future.' For gaining an insight view in American politics including the harshly criticized war against terrorism, we have to refer to certain concepts and images of America that derived from the past, from the very early beginning of settlement, but sustained and is nowadays still haunting in many minds of Americans shaping the American politics and everyday life.

Everybody has heard of the term World's Americanisation. But what exactly does it mean? Is it just a term for summarising a general criticism of the American Way of Life being adopted by many other countries? American Studies also deals with this criticism and offers pragmatic understanding of the concept of World's Americanization.

The role of American Studies has changed, however, as it has been overshadowed by the actions taken by the Bush administration that led to destruction, hatred and death in Afghanistan, Iraq and all over the world. American Studies can give an understanding of how it is still possible to get support from the majority of the people of America for a policy that causes so much pain, suffering and death in Iraq and Afghanistan, killing children, old people, young courageous soldiers and causing destruction beyond repair. How can one country determine the fate of many other countries? Why is it today still possible to achieve goals by military means? This policy affects the whole world including our daily life.

The following text will contain a brief discussion of the perception of America in the world as one essential aspect that American Studies deals with, it will contain the perception of American Studies as fundamental reference point for understanding how power and resources are divided in our society and it will finally discuss the importance of the understanding of the dialectic character of American identity between image and concept and the explicit realities. These points make American Studies vital nowadays.

Perception of America in the world - The sense of living in the Eagle's shadow

The attacks on September 11 confirmed the importance and urgency of analysing the American perception in the world in a very cruel and horrible way. 'People who hated the values, economic institutions, and cultural beliefs associated with Western capitalism could attack [...] to try to shatter a way of life and a people.' What did terrorists lead to attack the Twin Towers? What caused