American Civilization

Abstract

A discernibly American identity, nonetheless real for having been so long obscured by the preponderance of the USA, unites the republics of the Western hemisphere in the modern period. Allowing for variations in capacity and circumstance, this helps delineate the range of their behaviour toward one another and toward states elsewhere. A definition of civilization consistent with this analysis should not be concerned to establish homogeneity within a clearly defined territory, but rather to recognise a particular style of interaction and, above all, distinctive responses to the challenge of cultural difference within confined spaces.