Ameriške sanje : med idealom in ideologijo

slovenian

2016

volume 53, issue 6

equality of opportunity   ideology   social mobility   success

Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za družbene vede
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

The American Dream is a central element of American culture and forms an integral part of the American way of life. In one sense, it represents a distilled version of American values and some sort of an archetype of (material) success. At the same time, both in the USA as well as abroad it constitutes a symbol of progress and is synonymous with hope generally. Nevertheless, over the last few years it has been criticised due to the growing inequality and decreasing upward social mobility compared to other democratic countries. It is precisely this gap between its emancipatory potential and its idealised image on one side and a set of indicators suggesting the American dream may have utterly failed that has given rise to a series of objections leading to the assertion that it may represent an empty or even a false promise. This article analyses some of the most important aspects of the "standard" interpretation of the American dream and argues that its basic question is not substantive (what is the American dream) but motivational (why is the interest in their further preservation and reproduction so important).

05.09.2018