or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
Sorry!
More Buying Choices
29 used & new from $7.68

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Primitive America: The Ideology of Capitalist Democracy
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Primitive America: The Ideology of Capitalist Democracy (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: narcissistic refraction, meaningless politics, precarious politics, United States, Saddam Hussein, Long War (more...)
No customer reviews yet. Be the first.

Price: $17.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Thursday, November 12? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
17 new from $9.98 11 used from $7.68 1 collectible from $27.00

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Discerning the Subject (Theory and History of Literature, Vol 55) by Paul Smith

Primitive America: The Ideology of Capitalist Democracy + Discerning the Subject (Theory and History of Literature, Vol 55)

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Theory of the Subject

Theory of the Subject

by Alain Badiou
$19.77
The Limits to Capital, New Edition

The Limits to Capital, New Edition

by David Harvey
4.7 out of 5 stars (6)  $23.07
First As Tragedy, Then As Farce

First As Tragedy, Then As Farce

by Slavoj Zizek
2.5 out of 5 stars (2)  $9.32
The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the College de France, 1978-1979

The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the College de France, 1978-1979

by Michel Foucault
4.8 out of 5 stars (5)  $19.11
Portents of the Real: A Primer for Post-9/11 America

Portents of the Real: A Primer for Post-9/11 America

by Susan Willis
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  $23.00
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

One of the most confounding aspects of American society—the one that perhaps most frequently perplexes observers both domestic and foreign—is the vast contradiction between what anthropologists might term the “hot” and “cold” elements in the culture. The hot encompasses the dynamic and progressive aspects of a society dedicated to growth and productivity, marked by mobility, innovation, and optimism. In contrast, the cold embodies rigid social forms and archaic beliefs, fundamentalisms of all kinds, racism and xenophobia, anti-intellectualism, cultural atavism, and ignorance—in short, the primitive.
 
For cultural critic Paul Smith, the tension between progressive and primitive is a constitutive condition of American history and culture. In Primitive America, Smith contemplates this primary contradiction as it has played out in the years since 9/11. Indeed, he writes, much of what has happened since—events that have seemed to many to be novel and egregious—can be explained by this foundational dialectic.
 
More radically still, Primitive America attests that this underlying stress is driven by America’s unquestioned devotion to the elemental propositions and processes of capitalism. This devotion, Smith argues, has become America’s quintessential characteristic, and he begins this book by elaborating on the idea of the primitive in America—its specific history of capital accumulation, commodity fetishism, and cultural narcissism. Smith goes on to track the symptoms of the primitive that have arisen in the aftermath of 9/11 and the commencement of the “Long War” against “violent extremists”: the nature of American imperialism, the status of the U.S. Constitution, the militarization of America’s economy and culture, and the Bush administration’s disregard for human rights.
 
An urgent and important engagement with current American policies and practices, Primitive America is, at the same time, an incisive critique of the ideology that fuels the ethos of America’s capitalist culture.
 
Paul Smith is professor of cultural studies at George Mason University and the author of numerous books, including Clint Eastwood: A Cultural Production (Minnesota, 1993).

Product Details


More About the Author

Paul Smith
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's Paul Smith Page

Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Primitive America: The Ideology of Capitalist Democracy
98% buy the item featured on this page:
Primitive America: The Ideology of Capitalist Democracy
$17.95
Discerning the Subject (Theory and History of Literature, Vol 55)
2% buy
Discerning the Subject (Theory and History of Literature, Vol 55)
$27.50

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews


There are no customer reviews yet.
Video reviews
Video reviews
Amazon now allows customers to upload product video reviews. Use a webcam or video camera to record and upload reviews to Amazon.



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Do you believe 9-11-01 disaster was an "Inside Job" ? 7209 1 minute ago
Guns will keep you safe. 184 2 minutes ago
I, Pencil 32 2 minutes ago
Mishima says.... 820 2 minutes ago
Reference to homosexuality 42 19 hours ago
Textbooks for Kindle DX? 61 3 days ago
textbook scam 66 8 days ago
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums




Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.