Constructing the Nation

"What does it mean today to be an 'American' when one does not represent or embody the norm of 'Americanness' because of one's race, ethnicity, culture of origin, religion, or some combination of these? What is the norm of 'Americanness' today, how has it changed, and how pluralistic is it in reality?" -- from the Introduction In this volume philosophers and social theorists of color take up these questions, offering nuanced critiques of race and nationalism in the post-9/11 United States focused around the themes of freedom, unity, and homeland. In particular, the contributors examine how normative concepts of American identity and unity come to be defined and defended along increasingly racialized lines in the face of national trauma, and how nonnormative Americans experience the mistrust that their identities and backgrounds engender in this way. The volume takes an important step in recognizing and challenging the unreflective notions of nationalism that emerge in times of crisis.