Book description
By affirming the relativity of the American historical imagination,
political theorist Michael J. Shapiro offers a powerful polemic
against ethnocentric interpretations of American culture and politics.
Deforming American Political Thought analyzes issues that range from
the nature of Thomas Jefferson's vision of an egalitarian nation to
the persistence of racial inequality. Shapiro offers a multifaceted
argument that transcends the myopic scope of traditional political
discourse. Deforming American Political Thought illustrates the
various ways in which history, architecture, film, music, literature,
and art provide approaches to the comprehension of diverse facets of
American political thought from the founding to the present. Using
these seemingly disparate disciplines as a framework, Shapiro paints a
picture of American political philosophy that is as distinctive as it
enlightening. Shapiro explores the historically vital role of
dissenting points of view in American politics and asserts its
continuing importance in today's political landscape. Exploring such
diverse works as slave narratives, contemporary films, genre fiction,
and blues and jazz music, Shapiro reveals that there have always been
dissenting voices casting doubt on the moral purpose and
exceptionalism of the American mind. An unprecedented inquiry into
American politics, Deforming American Political Thought will surely
serve to reinvigorate discussions about the essence of American
political thought.
"The clarity of his arguments, his mastery of materials, his
always engaging and original readings of texts from diverse artistic
genres have produced a book that will need to be grappled with by
those within political science with a concern for the fate of the
field, those committed to a critical reflection on what political
thought is for, and those with an affinity for the arts who will
welcome a wider horizon for its politics. A highly influential book
for years to come." -- Randy Martin, author of On Your Marx:
Relinking Socialism and the Left
Michael J. Shapiro, professor of political science at the
University of Hawai'i, is the author of numerous books, including For
Moral Ambiguity: National Culture and the Politics of the Family and
Methods and Nations: Cultural Governance and the Indigenous Subject.
