Contenu
Conflict over the fundamental moral authority that guides American society has always existed throughout history. There have been sharp divisions between the Orthodox and the Progressives over values, over right and wrong standards, and over choices between status quo and progress.
This course will explore the origins, development, and meanings of culture wars in the United States and their more immediate impact. In his seminal book on the culture wars (Culture Wars: The Struggle To Define America, 1991), James Davison Hunter traces the epistemology of the culture wars concept and its various implications in all fields of American life. He pays special attention to the role played by religion in these conflicts. Various examples include gun control, racial profiling, same-sex marriage, or the death penalty. Why do Americans wrestle with questions of morality and national identity? We will examine how culture wars manifest themselves and operate to undermine and/or enrich American democracy, starting from the premise that the breach in the separating wall between Church and State is partly responsible for the numerous institutional deadlocks (the Equal Rights Amendment, “bathroom laws”, the Equality Act) as well as a patchwork system of unequal laws across the country. Can Americans find common ground amid their stark cultural differences when it comes to inequality and second-class citizens ?
