Eccezionalismo, identitŕ nazionale e interdipendenza : nuove sintesi italiane sulla storia degli Stati Uniti d'America

Abstract

- The essay examines some central concepts of U.S. history and culture through the analysis of three volumes published in Italy in 2008. The author uses the concept of American Exceptionalism in order to provide a closer reading of the books and a better understanding of the image of the United States offered today, as well as the place of U.S. history in Italy. Cultural Pluralism is an important framework in the historical and historiographical narratives. Touching upon other central ideals of American identity such as Manifest Destiny, the Frontier, and Internationalism, this essay deals with the issue of Imperialism and the reactions against it in the 19th and 20th centuries. Through the question of immigration, reference is made to multiculturalism and the processes that led toward a progressive integration of different minorities on the basis of models proposed by the dominant society. The essay thus recapitulates some of the most widespread stereotypes concerning ethnic groups and the construction of a new model of Cultural Pluralism.Key words: U.S. history, exceptionalism, American imperialism, immigration, cultural pluralism, Melting PotParole chiave: storia degli Stati Uniti, eccezionalismo, imperialismo americano, immigrazione, pluralismo culturale, melting pot