The Next American Nation

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Are we now, or have we ever been, a nation? As this century comes to a close, debates over American identity have exploded: differing views of immigration policy, racial preferences, and multiculturalism challenge the consensus that formerly grounded our national culture. The question of our national identity is as urgent as it has ever been in our history. Is our society disintegrating into a collection of separate ethnic enclaves, or is there a way that we can forge a coherent, unified identity as we enter the 21st century? In <i>The Next American Nation</i>, Michael Lind maintains that American society is <i>not</i> breaking into separate tribal enclaves. The really significant development of our time is the emergence of a multiracial middle-class American majority united by a common language, customs, and culture. Until now this new majority, lacking a sense of its identity or interests, has been the object of a divide-and-rule policy by the plutocratic overclass that dominates both major parties. For this reason, the new 'Trans-American' majority requires a new social compact, a new theory of national identity, and an appropriate political vehicle if its members are to realize the promise of American life. In this "<i>marvelously written, wide-ranging and thought-provoking</i>" book, Michael Lind provides a comprehensive revisionist view of the American past and offers a concrete proposal for nation-building reforms to strengthen the American future. He shows that the forces of nationalism and the ideal of a trans-racial melting pot need not be in conflict with each other, and he provides a practical agenda for a liberal nationalist revolution that would combine a new color-blind liberalism in civil rights with practical measures for reducing class-based barriers to racial integration.