{"product_id":"the-american-civilizing-process-hardback-9780745632087","title":"The American Civilizing Process (Hardback) 9780745632087","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe American Civilizing Process\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eStephen Mennell (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780745632087, Polity Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 3 October 2007\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e400 pages\u003cbr\u003e23.6 x 15.8 x 2.8 cm, 0.717 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"This book has a great potential for upsetting the sensibilities of American graduate students and stimulating debate about the form and development of American culture and social organization.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eTheory and Society\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cp\u003e\"All in all, this is a book full of treasures that I would recommend unreservedly.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eFarhad Dalal, \u003ci\u003eGroup Analysis\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"[A] work of immense scope, insight and erudition by a major figure in sociology.\"\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cb\u003eAndrew Linklater, \u003ci\u003eInternational Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Guaranteed to be 'model setting' in its own right. All future studies of civilising processes, which will hopefully include analyses of such dynamics in rising powers such as China, India, Brazil and so forth in the emerging post-Western international system, can derive their bearings from this volume.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFigurations\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e   \u003cp\u003e\"What makes Mennell's book exceptional is its theoretical framework building on the elaborate theory of civilizing processes developed by Norbert Elias (1897-1990), who elaborated his theory on European state-formation processes.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eInternationale Politik und Gesellschaft\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A broad and brave, yet incisive, exploration of the process of US evolution, effectively mingling, and moving between, sociological and cultural considerations with political and international trends.\" \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIrish Journal of American Studies\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\"Mennell has robustly put the American processes of civilization through the demands of Elias-ian analysis.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrometheus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Mennell is the best expositor of the pattern of American geopolitics, along with British military historian John Keegan’s \u003ci\u003eFields of Battle\u003c\/i\u003e.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eEuropean Journal of Sociology\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"A very fine book indeed: a triumphant vindication of the capacity of Elias's thesis to illuminate huge tracts of American history and at the same time a highly original and independent work which never follows the master slavishly but maintains its intellectual independence, recognising the difficulties which Elias's theories sometimes raise, and abounding in fresh insights of its own. It is also beautifully lucid and agreeably unpretentious in tone.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eSir Keith Thomas, \u003ci\u003eAll Souls College, Oxford\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Written in a beautifully lucid and lively style, this book should be read by all who seek to understand a fascinating as well as important country.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eJohn A. Thompson, \u003ci\u003eSt Catharine's College, Cambridge\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"This is a book that is long overdue. Norbert Elias pioneered analysis of the civilizing process that helped make modern Europe. But just how much America is distinct has been both historically contested and conceptually unclear. Stephen Mennell brings considerable insight in this thoughtful reconsideration of the American story in light of Elias’s originally European framework.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eCraig Calhoun, \u003ci\u003eNew York University\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Stephen Mennell, an outstanding disciple of the great sociologist Norbert Elias, employs the latter's insights to look at the USA. Using the idea of state-formation along with that of the civilizing process, the result is a wide-ranging treatment of the sole contemporary superpower that has both scholarly merit and an enormous relevance to the present moment. Filled with insights, combining theory and empirical observations, and offering a judicious comparison with other countries of America and its claim to exceptionalism, the result is a splendid contribution to history, sociology and international relations.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBruce Mazlish, \u003ci\u003eMIT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSince 9\/11, the American government has presumed to speak and act in the name of ‘civilization’. But isthat how the rest of the world sees it? And if not, why not?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003eStephen Mennell leads up to such contemporary questions through a careful study of the whole span of American development, from the first settlers to the American Empire. He takes a novel approach, analysing the USA’s experience in the light of Norbert Elias’s theory of civilizing (and decivilizing) processes.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDrawing comparisons between the USA and other countries of the world, the topics discussed include:\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli style=\"list-style: none\"\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAmerican manners and lifestyles\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli style=\"list-style: none\"\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eViolence in American society\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli style=\"list-style: none\"\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eThe impact of markets on American social character\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli style=\"list-style: none\"\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAmerican expansion, from the frontier to empire\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli style=\"list-style: none\"\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eThe ‘curse of the American Dream’ and increasing inequality\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli style=\"list-style: none\"\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eThe religiosity of American life\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003eMennell shows how the long-term experience of Americans has been of growing more and more powerful in relation to their neighbours. This has had all-pervasive effects on the way they see themselves, their perception of the rest of the world, and how the rest of the world sees them.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMennell’s compelling and provocative account will appeal to anyone concerned about America's role in the world today, including students and scholars of American politics and society.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePreface. \u003cp\u003ePrologue:.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1 ‘American Civilization’.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Founding Fathers as Philosophes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘Progress’ and ‘American Civilization’.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFugitive government and ‘American Civilization’.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘Human nature’ and ‘American Civilization’.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEuropean absolutism and ‘American Civilization’.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2 ‘Fellow Americans’ and Outsiders.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers: the Native Americans.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers: the Blacks.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers: the Europeans.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnti-Americanism: How the outsiders view the established.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3 American Manners under Scrutiny\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmerican manners books.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmericans observed.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTechnology, hygiene and deference.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVictorianism.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInformalization.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e4 American Aristocracies\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe colonial gentry.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe South: American Junkers?.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe North: Working upper classes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom cumulative to dispersed inequalities?.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA significant absence: an aristocracy of office.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e5 The Market Society\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe constraints of the market.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe constraints of organization.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e6 Violence and Aggressiveness.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLong-term trends in violence.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIs America peculiarly violent?.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCapital punishment.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e7 And wilderness is paradise enow: From Settlements to Independence\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAutarky, but not terra nullius.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePopulation.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEarly phases of the American state formation process.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e8 Westward Look the Land is Bright: From Frontier to Empire\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eManifest destiny and latent dynamics: a necessary theoretical digression.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe balance between the planned and the unplanned in US territorial expansion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘Sovereignty’ as a function of power ratios.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Frontier.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeyond manifest destiny: the beginnings of an American empire.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e9 Integration Struggles.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrbanization and resentment of the city.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eImmigration.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrowth of the means of ruling.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe breakdown: the Civil War and its aftermath.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA central ambivalence: the armed forces.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e10 The Curse of the American Dream.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEquality and inequality in America.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe American welfare state.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocial mobility in America.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion: Upwards identification, not mutual identification?.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e11 Involvement, Detachment and American Religiosity\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFantasy and the growth of knowledge.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmerican religion in long-term perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome explanations.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOdd one out - Europe or the USA?.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e12 America and Humanity as a Whole\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘American Social Character’: Diminishing contrasts, increasing varieties.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe problem of the American homo clausus: the We-I balance.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarket fundamentalism and diminishing foresight.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFunctional de-democratization.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe American Empire.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion: path dependency in America and the world.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBibliography.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Sociology \u0026amp; anthropology [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Sociology \u0026amp; anthropology\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Sociology%20\u0026amp;%20anthropology%20%5BJH%5D%22\"\u003eJH\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Polity","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52406614425880,"sku":"9780745632087","price":50.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9780745632087.jpg?v=1784140818","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-american-civilizing-process-hardback-9780745632087","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}