What do we mean by the American Dream? Can we define it? Or does any discussion of the phrase end inconclusively, the solid turned liquid - like ice melting? Do we know whether the American Dream motivates and inspires or, alternately, obscures and deceives? The Routledge Handbook on the American Dream offers distinctive, authoritative, original essays by well-known scholars that address the social, economic, historical, philosophic, legal, and cultural dimensions of the American Dream for the twenty-first century. The American Dream, first discussed and defined in print by James Truslow Adams' The Epic of America (1931), has become nearly synonymous with being American. Adams' definition, although known to scholars, is often lost in our ubiquitous use of the term. When used today, the iconic phrase seems to encapsulate every fashion, fad, trend, association, or image the user identifies with the United States or American life. The American Dream's ubiquity, though, argues eloquently for a deeper under-standing of its heritage, its implications, and its impact-to be found in this first research handbook ever published on the topic.

About the Author

Robert C. Hauhart, Ph.D., J.D., is a professor in the Department of Society and Social Justice at Saint Martin's University, Lacey, WA (USA). He is the author or co-editor of seven books and numerous published papers in sociology, literature, and education journals. In sociology, Professor Hauhart is a recognized scholar of the American Dream. His most recent books include The Lonely Quest: Constructing the Self in the Twenty-First Century United States (Routledge 2018) and Seeking the American Dream: A Sociological Inquiry (2016), nominated for the Pacific Sociological Association's Distinguished Scholarship Award in 2017. In 2019 Professor Hauhart was a recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Award to teach and research the American Dream at the Postgraduate School and Research Centre of the Slovenian Institute of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana. In literature, Professor Hauhart is a student of twentieth century American literature and, in particular, American Dream themes in American literature. He is the co-editor, with Jeff Birkenstein, of four volumes: American Writers in Exile (2015); Social Justice in American Literature (2017); European Writers in Exile (2018); and Dogs and Ladies: Connections and Influence in the Russian and American Short Story (In Press). In education, Professor Hauhart is the co-author, with Jon Grahe, Pacific Lutheran University, of Designing and Teaching the Undergraduate Capstone Course (2015).

Mitja Sardoc (PhD) is senior research associate at the Educational Research Institute in Ljubljana (Slovenia) where he is member of the 'Educational Research' program. His research interests and expertise include philosophy of education, political philosophy and education policy. He is author of scholarly articles and editor of a number of journal special issues on citizenship education, multiculturalism, toleration, equality of opportunity, radicalization and violent extremism, patriotism,the American Dream, neoliberalism and education, talents and distributive justice. He is Managing Editor of Theory and Research in Education and member of the editorial board of the CEPS Journal and Postdigital Science and Education. Between September and December 2019, he was a visiting fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute in Florence (Italy). He is Editor-in-Chief of The Handbook of Patriotism and editor of The Impacts of Neoliberal Discourse and Language in Education to be published by Routledge (in 2021).

Reviews

This collection from editors Hauhart (Saint Martin's Univ.) and Sardoc (Educational Research Institute, Slovenia) compiles 19 scholarly essays that consider the American dream from sociological and political perspectives. Collectively, the authors seek to define the dream as both a concept and an ideology and examine its relevance in the lives of different Americans and those in other nations. They agree that the dream refers to the persistent cultural and historical myth of the US as the land of hope, equality, freedom, and economic and political optimism that can lead to personal well-being and a good life. Essays focus on Americans who are exemplars of dream seekers including individuals from rural areas, LGBTQ youth, and Asian and Latinx Americans. Authors also discuss the impact of crime and migration. The American dream, defined differently for different groups and different times, seems out of reach for many who believe in it. Roadblocks to achieving the dream include individual expectations and the lack of equal opportunity based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, geography, poverty, and immigration status. The book lacks sufficient discussion of African Americans who have historically been denied equal opportunity to achieve the American dream. References follow each essay.

Summing Up:

Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals.

-D. A. Lincove, emeritus, Ohio State University

Book Information
ISBN 9780367896003
Author Robert Hauhart
Format Paperback
Page Count 376
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g