Exceptional America What divides Americans from the world and from each other

Jouet offers a new publication on American exceptionalism that tries to answer questions about why America appears so different from the rest of the world. To be sure, the study of American exceptionalism is already well developed, and saying something new or original on the subject is certainly difficult. Jouet, however, provides a different understanding of exceptionalism from many of the contemporary offerings. He rejects the understanding of American exceptionalism as being American greatness, or the idea of American superiority to other nations. Instead, Jouet reflects on exceptionalism as being what is unique or different, viewing America as an exception to other countries. This exceptionalism, moreover, can be a source of potential strength and weakness depending on the criteria one is examining. What explains this exceptionalism? Jouet blames a good portion of it on ideological polarization, which he chiefly sees as a phenomenon of the American Right. American conservatism, according to the author, suffers from anti-intellectualism, Christian fundamentalism, and potent anti-government sentiment. This leads to an uncompromising ideology that stands in the way of rational decision-making and problem-solving. While the treatment of American ideological politics is far from balanced, Jouet presents some important insights into the American regime. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Eric C. Sands, Berry College