American Nightmares

Social Problems in an Anxious World

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book American Nightmares by Joel Best, University of California Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Joel Best ISBN: 9780520968905
Publisher: University of California Press Publication: January 23, 2018
Imprint: University of California Press Language: English
Author: Joel Best
ISBN: 9780520968905
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication: January 23, 2018
Imprint: University of California Press
Language: English

In an accessible and droll style, well-known sociologist Joel Best shines a light on how we navigate these anxious, insecure social times. While most of us still strive for the American Dream—to graduate from college, own a home, work toward early retirement—recent generations have been told that the next generation will not be able to achieve these goals, that things are getting—or are on the verge of getting—worse. In American Nightmares*,* Best addresses the apprehension that we face every day as we are bombarded with threats that the social institutions we count on are imperiled. Our schools are failing to teach our kids. Healthcare may soon be harder to obtain. We can’t bank on our retirement plans. And our homes—still the largest chunk of most people’s net worth—may lose much of their value. Our very way of life is being threatened! Or is it? With a steady voice and keen focus, Best examines how a culture develops fears and fantasies and how these visions are created and recreated in every generation. By dismantling current ideas about the future, collective memory, and sociology’s marginalization in the public square, Best sheds light on how social problems—and our anxiety about them—are socially constructed.

 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In an accessible and droll style, well-known sociologist Joel Best shines a light on how we navigate these anxious, insecure social times. While most of us still strive for the American Dream—to graduate from college, own a home, work toward early retirement—recent generations have been told that the next generation will not be able to achieve these goals, that things are getting—or are on the verge of getting—worse. In American Nightmares*,* Best addresses the apprehension that we face every day as we are bombarded with threats that the social institutions we count on are imperiled. Our schools are failing to teach our kids. Healthcare may soon be harder to obtain. We can’t bank on our retirement plans. And our homes—still the largest chunk of most people’s net worth—may lose much of their value. Our very way of life is being threatened! Or is it? With a steady voice and keen focus, Best examines how a culture develops fears and fantasies and how these visions are created and recreated in every generation. By dismantling current ideas about the future, collective memory, and sociology’s marginalization in the public square, Best sheds light on how social problems—and our anxiety about them—are socially constructed.

 

More books from University of California Press

Cover of the book Drama Kings by Joel Best
Cover of the book Flavors of Empire by Joel Best
Cover of the book Exceptional America by Joel Best
Cover of the book Technologies for Intuition by Joel Best
Cover of the book Masters of Light by Joel Best
Cover of the book Between One and One Another by Joel Best
Cover of the book The Railway Journey by Joel Best
Cover of the book The Eastern Mediterranean and the Making of Global Radicalism, 1860-1914 by Joel Best
Cover of the book The Pastoral Clinic by Joel Best
Cover of the book Death in the City by Joel Best
Cover of the book How the Other Half Ate by Joel Best
Cover of the book Living with Difference by Joel Best
Cover of the book The Modern World-System III by Joel Best
Cover of the book When Mandates Work by Joel Best
Cover of the book From Mission to Microchip by Joel Best
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy