Histoire américaine S6 LL3CAN

This course will focus on the ideological implications of Americanness and the cultural transformations expected of voluntary migrants from the "old" continents (Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, but also Asia and, more recently, Africa) in order to grant them an opportunity to aim for the "American Dream". We shall contrast the various immigrant experiences of the groups which were initially understood as forming the "Melting Pot", as well as those which had to struggle to be included in the category by default, i.e., "White". This will imply measuring the significance of the historical—and persistent—exclusion of Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and Hispanic Americans, but also raising the question of poor Whites as "failed" Americans. An insight into the sociological theories of Americanization and their limits will help students gain a more complete understanding of the concept of American identity.