The Greatest of All Time
A History of an American Obsession
Seiten
2025
Cambridge University Press (Verlag)
9781009572736 (ISBN)
Cambridge University Press (Verlag)
9781009572736 (ISBN)
This book explores the phenomenon of 'greatness' culture and what Americans really mean when they talk about it. It is for both general readers and scholars interested in American history, cultural history, and celebrity studies.
Americans love to talk about 'greatness.' In this book, Zev Eleff explores the phenomenon of 'greatness' culture and what Americans really mean when they talk about greatness. Greatness discourse provides a uniquely American language for participants to discuss their 'ideal' aspirational values and make meaning of their personal lives. The many incarnations and insinuations of 'greatness' suggest more about those carrying on the conversation than they do about those being discussed. An argument for Abraham Lincoln or Franklin D. Roosevelt over George Washington as America's greatest statesman says as much about the speaker as it does about the legacies of former US presidents. Making a case for the Beatles, Michael Jordan, or Mickey Mouse involves the prioritization of politics and perspectives. The persistence of Henry Ford as a great American despite his toxic antisemitism offers another layer to this historical phenomenon. Using a variety of compelling examples, Eleff sheds new new light on “greatness” and its place in American culture.
Americans love to talk about 'greatness.' In this book, Zev Eleff explores the phenomenon of 'greatness' culture and what Americans really mean when they talk about greatness. Greatness discourse provides a uniquely American language for participants to discuss their 'ideal' aspirational values and make meaning of their personal lives. The many incarnations and insinuations of 'greatness' suggest more about those carrying on the conversation than they do about those being discussed. An argument for Abraham Lincoln or Franklin D. Roosevelt over George Washington as America's greatest statesman says as much about the speaker as it does about the legacies of former US presidents. Making a case for the Beatles, Michael Jordan, or Mickey Mouse involves the prioritization of politics and perspectives. The persistence of Henry Ford as a great American despite his toxic antisemitism offers another layer to this historical phenomenon. Using a variety of compelling examples, Eleff sheds new new light on “greatness” and its place in American culture.
Zev Eleff is President and Professor of American Jewish History at Gratz College. He is the author, most recently, of Dyed in Crimson: Football, Faith, and Remaking Harvard's America.
Introduction; 1. The economics of American greatness; 2. The problem of the great all-knowing answer man; 3. The rise and fall of the great changemakers; 4. How the Babe became the greatest (and the Roosevelts, too); 5. The great counterculture conundrum; Conclusion: Michael Jordan in the 'age of lists'; Index.
| Erscheinungsdatum | 04.02.2025 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | Worked examples or Exercises |
| Verlagsort | Cambridge |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 157 x 235 mm |
| Gewicht | 490 g |
| Themenwelt | Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Neuzeit (bis 1918) |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte | |
| Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Kulturgeschichte | |
| Sozialwissenschaften | |
| ISBN-13 | 9781009572736 / 9781009572736 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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