From the virgin land to the transnational identities of the twenty-first century: Exceptionalist rhetoric in the field of American studies

In the age of globalization, American Exceptionalism remains a ubiquitous subject of debate within academic circles as well as society in general. The intention of this article is to reveal the coherent narrative that accompanies the notion of exceptionalism that stretches from the ‘city upon a hill’ in the seventeenth century to the War on Terror in the early 2000s.

Puritans like John Winthrop, historians like Alexis de Tocqueville and presidents like Woodrow Wilson embraced exceptionalism as a concept, but its most important base of support, other than political leaders and scholars, was America’s working class. The premise of this article is to explore the nature of this very concept, whether we call it an ideology, myth or God-given truth and why it has become such an imperative part of the political, cultural and intellectual life of the United States.

By looking at the work that has been administered in the field of American studies over the last decades, dating back to the mid-twentieth century, I wish to expose the malleability of exceptionalism, a quality that not only allows it to reject any definition but also enables it to turn into a metaconcept that will never lose its appeal, according to Donald E. Pease. I argue that the manifold qualities of this metaconcept, whether we call it a political doctrine or a national fantasy, enable the citizens of the United States to define themselves within the framework of a larger American identity.

I intend to highlight the problems around the United States’ self-proclaimed status as an exceptional nation in a postnational world defined by diasporic and transnational affiliations. By doing so, I will put emphasis on the punitive ideology of exclusion and demonization that surrounds the notion of American Exceptionalism.