American Dream Research Articles

Por las puertas de la apercepción: Acercamientos a la filosofía de Francisco Gavidia

In the following paper, the author points out some of the aspects of the philosophical project of the Salvadoran writer Francisco Gavidia. One important contribution is that the author reflects on whether a Latin American philosophy is possible, long before the philosophical debates regarding this matter during the 1960s. Gavidia maintained that this philosophy must overcome the limitations of positivism and provide a perspective of reality rooted both on scientific reason and poetic intuition, given the particularities of Latin American identity. That is what the author calls “apperception”, which he considers as the foundation of his philosophical and cultural project for El Salvador. Nevertheless, Gavidia thought has both the scope and limitations of a philosophy rooted in the 19th century intellectual context but focused on the 20th century problems. Realidad, Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, No. 164, 2024: 89-136.

Dreams and Disillusionment: A Critique of the American Dream in American Fiction

This paper examines the vanity and consequences of the American Dream in four novels: Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, Jack London's The Iron Heel, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. A socio-political analysis of these authors and their works exposes the hollow nature of the dream. The Jungle is discussed from a racial and economic perspective, highlighting the plight of Jurgis and his Lithuanian family who are disillusioned in their pursuit of success. The Iron Heel is examined politically, showcasing the struggle between the capitalist class and workers. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents a social satire, critiquing the death of American ideals sacrificed for materialism. The Grapes of Wrath analyzes the American Dream through the Joad family's migration and exploitation. The study compares the treatment of the American Dream in these novels, referencing texts, socio-economic contexts, and relevant critical works.

Book Review: Monsters on Maple Street: The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream

Book Review: Monsters on Maple Street: The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream

Social Criticism and the American Dream: An Analysis of James Truslow Adams' The Epic of America (1931)

The current paper delves into the social criticism embedded in James Truslow Adams' The Epic of America (1931), especially concentrating on his coinage of the "American Dream" and its connection during the Great Depression. Adams critiques the increasing disparity between socio-economic classes and the materialism that predicted America’s founding ideals. By tracing the historical origins of the American Dream, Adams pinpoints its early transformation from a common vision of opportunity and egalitarianism to one increasingly maneuvering into wealth accumulation. Through historical manifestation, Adams exposes how the advent of industrialization and capitalism had compromised the nation's democratic values, resulting in social and economic injustice. This research paper draws on historical and literary origins to scrutinize how The Epic of America acts as both a critique of the early 20th century's social conditions and a hopeful call for returning to the principles of equality and opportunity. By reassessing the American Dream, this work remains a relevant lens through which to grasp the significance of societal aspirations and disenchantment in American history.

Beyond the American dream: unveiling the complexity of young people’s (im)mobility in Governador Valadares, Brazil

This study explores the often-overlooked phenomenon of immobility within migration studies, focusing on the Governador Valadares Region of Brazil. Despite the region’s history of significant outmigration to the United States, there needs to be more investigation into why some young people remain in their communities instead of pursuing the American Dream. Using ethnographic methods, the study search surpasses simplistic dichotomies of mobility-immobility, recognizing that decisions to leave or stay are complex and influenced by various interconnected factors. By employing the perspectives of ‘linked lives’ and ‘life-course situatedness’, the study provides nuanced insights into how individual choices are affected by familial, social, and economic contexts over time. The findings shed light on the diverse experiences of young people while revealing the carry of involuntary immobility. Furthermore, it contests assumptions that remaining in a particular location signifies immobility or a lack of ambition. It contributes to a more nuanced comprehension of migration agency and well-being, underscoring the multifaceted nature of aspirations and capabilities. The results illuminate the intricate interplay between personal aspirations and the environment in shaping migration decisions, emphasizing the significance of viewing (im)mobility as a relational and temporally situated phenomenon.

Countdown to the apocalypse: the legitimization of white Christian violence in religious programming on the History Channel

ABSTRACT This paper describes the results of a content analysis of the History Channel’s religious programming, which shows that roughly 44% of episodes about religion from 1996 to 2020 prioritize violence. Additionally, an ideological critique of 17 selected episodes reveals that non-Christian violence is portrayed as inherent to geographic contexts outside the United States while Christian violence is portrayed as justified, heroic, and exceptional. From this we show how the History Channel’s telling of religious history perpetuates the deep and troubling alliance between American identity and violent forms of white, Christian nationalism.

The Echo of Revolution: The Influence of War on Benjamin Rush’s Medical Theory

ABSTRACT During the American War for independence, young and ambitious medical men entered the ranks of the Continental Army. Philadelphia physician and chemistry professor Benjamin Rush was one such American practitioner who went on after the conflict to argue for a uniquely American medical practice. However, Rush’s wartime experiences have largely been treated in a vacuum with little connection to his later medical work. Despite this disconnect, much of Rush’s own writing and teaching directly or indirectly is pulled from wartime experiences. His interpretation of those experiences changed from a means of supporting British medical ideas in the 1770s to challenging them in the 1800s. This change mirrors and engages with other changes in American identity and use of science to craft that identity in the wake of the Revolutionary War.

How Parenting Facilitates Adolescents’ Tricultural Identity Development: A Mixed Methods Collective Case Study of Tridimensionally Acculturating Black Jamaican Immigrant Families

This article presents a mixed methods collective case study of the role of maternal socialization in shaping the tricultural identity development of Jamaican immigrant adolescents in the United States, who are known to acculturate tridimensionally. Seven Black adolescents (14–18 years; four male) completed online surveys and their Jamaican-born mothers completed online interviews during the dual COVID-19 and Whiteness pandemics. In-depth mixed methods case analyses and cross-case comparisons revealed both particulars and universals. Across all cases, adolescents had strong Jamaican private identities shaped by steady proximal and remote enculturation into Jamaican culture, and mothers’ skillful authoritative parenting supported their autonomy in acquiring and navigating U.S. cultural affiliations. Case particulars grouped adolescents into four profiles with one case fitting two profiles. 1) “Triculturals” had strong Jamaican or multicultural socialization with positive psychological and academic adaptation, but differing multicultural identity conflict. 2) “Reluctant Majority Culture Assimilators” had high achievement but differing psychological adaptation with mothers whose socialization first involved accepting their teens’ African American identities. 3) “Majority Culture Rejectors” had high belonging and no psychological distress but low average grades with maternal socialization that promoted the American Dream master narrative and resisted the alternative narrative of negative linked fate of ethnic minorities. 4) Finally, “Minority Culture Assimilators” had low multicultural identity conflict but differing psychological and academic adaptation and were being socialized by their mothers to resist being either victim or perpetrator of racial discrimination by harnessing cultural variability to play up and play down cultural identities and by avoiding use of ethnic-racial generalizations.

Social identity development and religious discrimination among Muslim American youth.

The present study investigated the development of social identity centrality dimensions (i.e., Muslim, ethnic, and American identity centrality) among Muslim American youth as well as associations between religious discrimination and social identity centrality trajectories. Data were collected once annually from 2015 to 2017 with 220 Muslim American youth (M = 14.20, SD = 0.94) in the Midwest United States (girls = 53.2%; boys = 42.3%; missing = 4.5%). Participants were Arab (62.3%), Somali (15.9%), and African American (8.6%), among other ethnic groups (less than 2%). Latent growth curve models indicated that Muslim and ethnic identity centrality displayed negative trajectories and that American identity centrality increased over time. Surprisingly, religious discrimination was not associated with social identity centrality trajectories. This research suggests that Muslim American youths' minoritized social identities develop similarly, whereas youths' American social identity develops differently than these identities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

"The Role Of Magical Realism In Shaping African American Identity In Toni Morrison's Novel"

This research paper embarks on a captivating exploration of the profound and intricate narrative technique of magical realism within the literary world of renowned American author Toni Morrison. We delve into the mystical realms created by Morrison in her novels, transcending the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Through a comprehensive analysis of select novels, such as "Beloved," "Song of Solomon," and "Jazz," this paper uncovers the deep-rooted themes, motifs, and symbolism that enhance the reader's understanding of the African-American experience.Morrison's exceptional ability to seamlessly blend the real with the mystical invites readers into a world where the boundaries between the natural and the supernatural are blurred, offering unique insights into the complexities of human existence. In this journey, readers encounter characters grappling with supernatural occurrences, symbolic animals, and ghostly entities, all of which unveil profound insights into the intricacies of life. The six keywords that guide this exploration are Toni Morrison, magical realism, African-American literature, cultural symbolism, supernatural elements, and narrative technique.

Internalized Racism? A Study of Christian Nationalism and Perceptions of Asian Hate and White Privilege Among Asians and Asian Americans

Prior studies have shown that Christian nationalism, an ideology combining Christian identity with American identity, is a powerful predictor of public attitudes toward racism. However, less is known about how Christian nationalism might affect Asians and Asian Americans’ racial attitudes, who have increasingly been the targets of anti-Asian hate crimes since the COVID-19 pandemic. This study surveyed 356 Asian and Asian American adults residing in the US. Among them, a stronger belief in Christian nationalism was associated with the perception that anti-Asian racism had stayed about the same or decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Surprisingly, this Christian nationalism effect on perceptions of anti-Asian racism during the pandemic was more salient among Asians and Asian Americans, who perceived a greater importance of Asian solidarity. Finally, Asians and Asian Americans who held a stronger belief in Christian nationalism also tended to deny the existence of White privilege.

“Goodbye, Americana, Hello Real Time”: The Death of Idealism in Philip Roth’s American Pastoral

“Goodbye, Americana, Hello Real Time”: The Death of Idealism in Philip Roth’s American Pastoral. Philip Roth’s 1997 American Pastoral is a textbook illustration of failed cultural transmission: the transference and transformation of values, idea(l)s and information in the lives of Seymour Levov, his family, his community prove to be governed by loss, misrepresentation and gradual decline into disorder. Far from delivering the romanticized version of life in the Jewish neighborhood that the title implies, the novel captures a disenchanted Americana, wherein idealism and radicalism clash against the background of the ideologically fractured 1960s. While ‘the Swede’ apparently initially embodies the (super)hero, middle-class American Dream, American Pastoral chronicles America’s evolution after World War II, which is captured as a mixture of convention and rebellion, both stemming from clashing political ideologies. This paper examines the book’s polarizing discourses, keeping an emblematic passage in mind: “Maybe the best thing would be to forget being right or wrong about people and just go along for the ride.” Keywords: Americana, community, discourse, ideology, identity, myth, trauma

Cautious Optimism: Latinx Young Adults’ Perspectives on the American Dream

The American Dream has long been crucial in maintaining the narrative of meritocracy that is part of American ideology and in giving immigrants hope for a brighter future in the United States. This article examines perceptions of the American Dream among U.S.-born Latinx young adults in Arizona. Drawing from 57 in-depth interviews, we found that participants approach the American Dream with cautious optimism—they believe in the American Dream, but are aware of its limits and redefine it to make it attainable. Latinas, in particular, link the American Dream with self-determination and defiance to traditional gender and cultural expectations. This research offers insights into the evolving meaning of the American Dream, revealing how race and gender inequality shape Latinx young adults’ aspirations amid contemporary challenges in Arizona.

Eurocentrism, Afrocentrism, Postcolonialism and Hybridity in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and August Wilson’s Radio Golf

This paper is a thematic study dealing with a postcolonial critical view of Eurocentrism and Afrocentrism in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (1959) and August Wilson’s Radio Golf (2005). In A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha views Western cultures as superior and she ultimately opts for Afrocentrism. The spirit of Beneatha will be analysed with a focus on Frantz Fanon’s arguments against ‘négritude’ and Eurocentrism. Hansberry, through the voice of Mama Lena, calls for a union between the African and the American selves, as well as between the Western and the non-Western cultures. The issue of the oscillation between Eurocentrism and Africanness is shared by August Wilson in his last contemporary play where he exposes different facets and layers of identity. Contemporary black citizens have achieved their American dreams of collecting lucre, but they are still grappling between keeping faithful to their African heritage and cultural repertoire or adopting the Western way of life and distance themselves from their roots. This dilemma is best exemplified through Harmond and his wife Mame Wilks. Unlike Wilks, who imitates the prestigious way of life and looks for appearances and social status, Harmond crosses the boundaries of Eurocentrism and Afrocentrism and he tries to find a space for intercultural communication between the Western and the African cultures. The discussion part will relate the two plays to the recent events surrounding Floyd’s murder during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The aim is to examine the critical situation of blacks during crisis and to demonstrate that they are disproportionally targeted. The rationale for choosing a modern African-American text that explores contemporary Eurocentrism, Afrocentrism, assimilation, nativism, and decolonization is to show that race is a universal issue. The goal is to suggest hybridity as the best alternative for establishing a more humanitarian society where different races can be interwoven.

The Politics of a Portrait: Biopics, Slavery and Contemporary Racial Politics in the United States

The article examines the connection between the past and the present, and between the personal and the political, in three recent biographical pictures directed by filmmakers of color: The Birth of a Nation (2016, dir. Nate Parker), Harriet (2018, dir. Kasi Lemmons), and Emancipation (2022, dir. Antoine Fuqua). By addressing the history of American slavery, the films not only come into a dialogue with the preexisting representations of slavery in music, photography and cinema, but also reflect on current racial politics and antiracist activism in the United States. They offer a commentary on changing attitudes towards the issue of race in America, and engage with the collective memory of slavery - a past trauma, which has shaped the African American identity.

A Bruised Legend: Hong Kong’s Cold War Coloniality Embodied

ABSTRACT In contrast to the much hailed Bruce Lee persona as a heroic and individualised legend, this article reconsiders Bruce Lee’s body of work including his working body as a ‘third world allegory’ in an era of multinational capitalism. I centralise the place of ‘experience’ in the characterisation of Bruce Lee as an auteur in ‘writing’ his body and films as literary texts, and frame Hong Kong coloniality as central to that experience. Re-connecting the well-known narratives of Bruce Lee’s not-so-successful Hollywood experience and his later pan-Asian bombastic comeback to his troubled ethnicity and to his coming-of-age participation in the socially-conscious post-war Cantonese cinema, this paper rehistoricises the tale of Lee as a struggling case of colonial subject formation, towards a decolonial understanding of 1950s–1970s Hong Kong fuelled by class, gender, inter-ethnic, Cold War contradictions and violence. It remaps the ways in which Bruce Lee painstakingly works his internalised Hong Kong British desires into an American Dream through translating his over-extended body into a diaspora-informed, hyper-masculine Kungfu language, speaking not only to a globalised empowerment of marginal youths but also to a specifically colonised third world angst.

African American English, racialized femininities, and Asian American identity in Ali Wong's Baby Cobra

AbstractWe analyze Asian American comedian Ali Wong's linguistic and embodied performance in her 2016 stand‐up special, Baby Cobra, through a genre‐specific lens to investigate how stand‐up comedy's performance conventions shape her comedic persona. We argue that Wong uses communicative forms indexically associated with Blackness to perform racialized and gendered figures of personhood, including the white “Karen,” “sassy Black woman,” and “Asian grandmother.” This performance allows Wong to challenge hegemonic whiteness and dominant racializations of Asian women but relies on signs potentially interpreted as reproducing anti‐Black ideologies. We situate Wong as an individual performer, “Asian American” as an ethnoracial category vis‐à‐vis Blackness, and the linguistic practices of Asian and Black American communities within racial capitalist histories that have shaped contemporary raciolinguistic ideologies. Rather than approach language varieties and racialized groups as necessarily distinct, we treat them as relational—as necessarily intimately and historically connected.

Indigeneity, Nationhood, Racialization, and the U.S. Settler State: Why Political Status Matters to Native ‘Identity’ Formation

This essay is a chapter excerpted from my forthcoming book, Who Gets to be Indian: Ethnic Fraud and Other Difficult Conversations about Native American Identity The chapter shows the ways that Indianness, framed as Indian or Native American “identity”, is inseparable from state subjectivity based on the history of political relations between tribes and the United States. It argues that tribes’ political status and relationship to the state are central to how Native American identity is shaped, rejecting the understanding of Native identity as race-based. The term “Indigenous” is discussed as not being equivalent to “Native American” and is not a racial formation in international fora. Social changes during the twentieth century brought new ways to diffuse and co-opt Nativeness through disaggregating it from political status and reinforcing racialization with the rise in urban pan-Indianism and neo-tribalism. Distinguishing Nativeness as political status from racialization is critical given ongoing attacks on tribal sovereignty in Supreme Court challenges based on alleged violations to the equal protection principle. Native American “identity” is inextricable from tribal nationhood and state formation, and thus cannot simply be dismissed as a colonial construct.

Righting the American Dream: How the Media Mainstreamed Reagan’s Evangelical Vision. By Diane Winston

Righting the American Dream: How the Media Mainstreamed Reagan’s Evangelical Vision. By Diane Winston

The socioeconomics of Sikh American identity

ABSTRACT I argue socioeconomic divisions among Sikh immigrants from India mediate the lived experiences of being non-white Sikh immigrants and influenced Sikh American identity formation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with immigrant Sikh cabbies in New York and immigrant Sikh families. This exploratory research shows convergences and divergences in Sikh American experiences and identities attributable to socioeconomic status. I advance knowledge on Sikh/South Asian American community formation, discourse on immigrants and racial identity formation. I emphasize theorization of the immigrant experience and racial identity formation cognizant of intra-group diversity, yet recognizing the boundedness of classification systems.