The Politics of the American Dream (PDF)

Cyril Ghosh is Visiting Assistant Professor at Mt. Holyoke College, USA.

'The American dream is a political Rorschach test, a flexible cultural trope, an ideological icon or whipping post, and an economic measuring stick. Despite its many meanings and uses, however, it is not an empty phrase but rather a powerful symbol of something. In this profound and elegant book, Cyril Ghosh fills in the 'something.' He melds political philosophy, American history, textual analysis, and new ideas into a genuinely novel and important analysis. I learned a great deal from this book, as will all other readers.' - Jennifer Hochschild, Professor of Government, Harvard University

'From the Puritans to contemporary electoral discourse, Cyril Ghosh has provided a provocative and creative examination of various invocations and meanings of the American Dream across the political spectrum. Ghosh finds implications for contemporary issues involving undocumented workers, the Occupy movement, the Tea Party, and negotiating the politics of identity.' - Carol Nackenoff, Richter Professor of Political Science, Swarthmore College

"If you want to understand American political culture you need to understand the concept of 'the American dream.' And to understand the origins, history and deployment of our most powerful rhetorical device, there's no better place to turn than Cyril Ghosh's well-written analysis in Politics of the American Dream.' Dalton Conley, University Professor, New York University and author of Elsewhere, USA