The Study of Racialism

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NEXT AMERICAN NATION: The New Nationalism and the Fourth American Revolution

Editorial Reviews

Sean Wilentz, Director of American Studies Program, Princeton
Michael Lind's unsettling and ambitious new book brilliantly challenges the culture-war extremists of both the right and the left, develops a sweeping reinterpretation of American history, and offers an original vision of a better American future. Even at points of disagreement, I am greatly impressed by the toughness of Lind's intellect, the breadth of his knowledge, and the decency of his aspirations for our country. This book may well prove to be the most consequential book of the year--and several years to come.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
New Republic editor Lind offers a neoliberal agenda for changing conceptions of national identity.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Richard Bernstein The New York Times A brash, refreshingly unorthodox, always interesting performance by a young man who defies the usual political categories of left and right, liberal and conservative....He brilliantly describes the elements of a common American culture.

Book Description
Are we now, or have we ever been, a nation?
As this century comes to a close, debates over immigration policy, racial preferences, and multiculturalism challenge the consensus that formerly grounded our national culture. The question of our national identity is as urgent as it has ever been in our history. Is our society disintegrating into a collection of separate ethnic enclaves, or is there a way that we can forge a coherent, unified identity as we enter the 21st century?

In this "marvelously written, wide-ranging and thought-provoking"* book, Michael Lind provides a comprehensive revisionist view of the American past and offers a concrete proposal for nation-building reforms to strengthen the American future. He shows that the forces of nationalism and the ideal of a trans-racial melting pot need not be in conflict with each other, and he provides a practical agenda for a liberal nationalist revolution that would combine a new color-blind liberalism in civil rights with practical measures for reducing class-based barriers to racial integration.

A stimulating critique of every kind of orthodox opinion as well as a vision of a new "Trans-American" majority, The Next American Nation may forever change the way we think and talk about American identity.

*New York Newsday

About the Author
Michael Lind has been a senior editor at The New Republic and Harper's and executive editor of The National Interest. He is a frequent contributor to many national publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New York Review of Books. He is the author of Up From Conservatism: Why the Right Is Wrong for America and a novel. Powertown. He is currently a staff writer at The New Yorker.