One America?: Political Leadership, National Identity, and the Dilemmas of Diversity (review)

Abstract

Beyond challenging domestic security, confounding foreign relations, and rejuvenating patriotism—perhaps unrivalled since World War II—the September 11, 2001, tragedy forces a resounding call to recuperate as a people and to question the stability of a true American identity. Can we unite under a common culture while accentuating differences? Do we champion national identity over ethnic and class identity? Most significantly, should we pursue a common culture at all? Stanley A. Renshon, professor of political science at the City University of New York, seeks to examine these questions by bringing together authors from both ends of the political spectrum, many of whom grapple with each other both on the political stage and in the ensuing pages. Joining these variant voices in one text speaks volumes about the importance of discovering ways to redefine American identity. One America, named for the subtitle of President Clinton's initiative on race, approaches identity and leadership from a structural standpoint as opposed to a case study method. Authors discuss the structures of affirmative action, immigration reform, dual citizenship, and varying issues that contribute to, or detract from, an American identity.