American Identity

According to Huntington Identity is "an individual's or group's sense of self."[1] Two of the peculiar aspects of the American society' context are multiculturalism, and multi ethnicity and the reason is that this society is shaped upon immigration. People from all continents came to form a single country.

Alex R. Schafer has used humor to put this situation into word:— "The Korean owner of a restaurant in Texas trains Hispanic workers to prepare Chinese- style food for a largely black clientele ordering their food in English."[2]

So the crucial question will be "what culture will be the dominant one?" or in Huntington's definition, whose sense of self will rule the whole country? The answer to this question is not a clear cut one, though everyone keeps his or her nationality, all of them have accepted a new identity as, Americans. This acceptance or as some may say assimilation, began from early days of America. St John Crevecoueur in his Letters From an American Farmer explains what he had observed in 1782:"He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, received new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys and the new rank he holds,… here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men."[3]

I think American identity in the sense of a collective identity is somehow unconscious and is hidden in the layers of their thinking. But when a threat comes, Americans become actively aware of their beliefs. This sensitivity could be tracked in the attack to the trading towers in 11th of September in 2001. As Huntington has mentioned in his book, the number of raising flags of the United States before that event, and a few days after that was not as much as in the days of attack. Therefore it can be concluded that the stream of a unique identity still running in the United States like those days of St John Crevecoueur.

[1] .Huntington,Samuel,2000, Who Are We?New York, Simson& Schuster

[2] . Schafer, Alex R.. 2006, A New Introduction to American Studies, Edited by Temperley, Howard, and Bigsby, Christopher, Great Britain, Pearson longman.

[3] . Schafer, Alex R.. 2006, A New Introduction to American Studies, Edited by Temperley, Howard, and Bigsby, Christopher, Great Britain, Pearson longman.