Abstract: The American Studies movement has traditionally been one of the most enigmatic disciplines found in the American university. The movement might best be described by initially comparing it to an American artifact: a gigantic Barnum and Bailey circus tent under which a great variety of acts takes place simultaneously. To begin with, the endeavor is defined in various ways, has several roughly synonymous names, and is taught under an assortment of titles: American Studies, American Civilization, American Culture, American Thought and Culture. The label American Studies, however, is be? ing increasingly used as the most generic name to describe the teaching, research, writing and publication done by individuals who seek to interpret the American cultural experience in order to understand its historical develop? ment, literary expressions, artistic and material manifestations, and present configurations. Such a definition reveals at least one basic characteristic about contem? porary American Studies: it is highly pluralistic?pluralistic in methods, techniques, and purpose. As both an interdisciplinary and a multidisciplinary undertaking, this mode of inquiry has been so since its origins among teachers of American literature and American history in the mid-1980s. It assuredly remains so today. The second s in American Studies immediately tells one a great deal about the discipline's multiple history, theory, and practice. The following exploration of the historical and methodological development of the American Studies movement is organized around three sets of disciplinary foci: literature and history, the arts and social sciences, and folklore and historical archaeology. These disciplines have influenced the evolution of the American Studies movement in three distinct chronological eras: a) pre-1950; b) 1950-1970; and c) 1970 to present. This brief sketch of the movement is made within this framework from the vantage point of one of the newest com? ponents?material culture studies.
Publication Year: 1982
Publication Date: 1982-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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