Tuesday, October 19, 2004
- THE US AS A CULTURAL PRESENCE IN EUROPE
Lecturer: R. Kroes
Prof. Kroes discussed chapter one of his book If you've seen one, you've seen the mall (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996). The chapter provides an attempt at "bringing order to the wild array of views about European's reception of American culture."
The greatest difference between American and European culture is the former's "greater willingness to deconstruct." See page 42: "Although the philosophical insights inspiring this approach (Derrida and deconstruction) were novel and fashionable ... they could effortlessly blend into a game long familiar to Americans."
George W. Bush & the Neo-Cons
Prof. Kroes went on to discuss George W. Bush's idea of implementing democracy in Iraq, which he views not only as a display of "arrogance", but --more importantly-- as a proof that "Americans lack historical sense."
Americans, he said (referring to the political leadership) are "uneducated by history"; they "refuse to be informed by the past." "This is not the way" -he concluded- "for democracy to take root." He added that Israel is viewed "by some" as the only democracy in the Middle East.
He also mentioned the "great and amazing paradox" of spending more on defense while cutting taxes. "They live in denial, these neo-cons."
Americans, Europeans, Hierarchies
"Americans are more radically willing --at least in public discourse-- to accept others as more equal." "There is no sublime and vulgar: equality rules." The fact that Europeans tend to view society in more hierarchical terms is a product of the "Estate-ordered view of life."
Americans, by contrast, are constantly moving and shifting. American Studies, for example, started out with English literature as the standard of excellence. But then they moved away from "dead white males", and began to incorporate (male) American writers, then women writers, then Native American writers, then gay writers, etc. It is an ongoing cultural rebellion: it just never ends.
(Students' comments: on the nature of democracy in the Middle East; on the ambiguous role of the US in promoting democracy in some --but not all-- places; on Europe's welfare state and security arrangements with the US, etc.)
Lecturer: R. Kroes
Prof. Kroes discussed chapter one of his book If you've seen one, you've seen the mall (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996). The chapter provides an attempt at "bringing order to the wild array of views about European's reception of American culture."
The greatest difference between American and European culture is the former's "greater willingness to deconstruct." See page 42: "Although the philosophical insights inspiring this approach (Derrida and deconstruction) were novel and fashionable ... they could effortlessly blend into a game long familiar to Americans."
George W. Bush & the Neo-Cons
Prof. Kroes went on to discuss George W. Bush's idea of implementing democracy in Iraq, which he views not only as a display of "arrogance", but --more importantly-- as a proof that "Americans lack historical sense."
Americans, he said (referring to the political leadership) are "uneducated by history"; they "refuse to be informed by the past." "This is not the way" -he concluded- "for democracy to take root." He added that Israel is viewed "by some" as the only democracy in the Middle East.
He also mentioned the "great and amazing paradox" of spending more on defense while cutting taxes. "They live in denial, these neo-cons."
Americans, Europeans, Hierarchies
"Americans are more radically willing --at least in public discourse-- to accept others as more equal." "There is no sublime and vulgar: equality rules." The fact that Europeans tend to view society in more hierarchical terms is a product of the "Estate-ordered view of life."
Americans, by contrast, are constantly moving and shifting. American Studies, for example, started out with English literature as the standard of excellence. But then they moved away from "dead white males", and began to incorporate (male) American writers, then women writers, then Native American writers, then gay writers, etc. It is an ongoing cultural rebellion: it just never ends.
(Students' comments: on the nature of democracy in the Middle East; on the ambiguous role of the US in promoting democracy in some --but not all-- places; on Europe's welfare state and security arrangements with the US, etc.)
# posted by Agustin @ 5:00 PM 
