War for the Soul of America, Second Edition: A History of the Culture Wars

The culture wars were a decade-long conflict between conservative and religious Americans and their liberal, secular fellow citizens, marked by polarization and posturing fueled by deep-rooted anger and insecurity. Andrew Hartman's history shows that their roots lay in the 1960s, as the social norms that had long governed American life began to give way to a new openness to different ideas, identities, and articulations of what it meant to be an American. The hot-button issues like abortion, affirmative action, art, censorship, feminism, and homosexuality that dominated politics in the period were symptoms of the larger struggle, as conservative Americans slowly began to acknowledge many fundamental transformations of American life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 08 April 2019
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

The culture wars, a tumultuous decade-long conflict, raged between conservative and religious Americans and their liberal, secular counterparts, shaping the nation's identity. Fueled by deep-rooted anger and insecurity, this era witnessed polarization and posturing, with Patrick Buchanan's 1992 speech at the Republican National Convention serving as a pivotal moment. However, as Andrew Hartman reveals in his comprehensive history, the roots of the culture wars extend far deeper, rooted in the social upheavals of the 1960s. These wars were not mere distractions but the public face of America's struggle over unprecedented social changes. The hot-button issues that dominated politics, such as abortion, affirmative action, art, censorship, feminism, and homosexuality, were symptoms of a larger struggle. Conservative Americans, initially resistant to these transformations, gradually acknowledged and accepted them. As an increasingly partisan but diverse and accepting America navigates a changing world, A War for the Soul of America serves as a reminder of our journey and the underlying motivations behind the fierce debates.

Weight: 516g
Dimension: 226 x 152 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226621913
Edition number: 2 ed