American Cultural History. A Very Short Introduction

The figures of Uncle Sam and Marilyn Monroe, the "fireside chats" of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the oratory of Martin Luther King, Jr. populate American cultural history. The history of American culture tells us how generations of Americans have imagined themselves, their nation, and their relationship to the world. Eric Avila recounts this history and its creation. Across the lines of race, class, gender, and sexuality, as well as language, region, and religion, Americans have forged a national culture with a global reach, inventing stories that have shaped a national identity and an American way of life.