Tag: Huntington

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Catch-All/Student Discussion Questions

Huntington Ch10 ERA

In Chapter 10 of his book “Who Are We,” Huntington discusses American identity in regards to the international environment. He begins by reporting on the change in the international environment with the end of the cold war, the extensive international involvement US elites abroad lowering the salience of national identity amongst those elites, and the increase of culture as a source of identity (as opposed to ideology). 

Huntington discusses the loss of the Soviet Union as our great enemy not being particularly helpful to national identity and argues that enemies are an effective ‘identity builder’ for a group. He also highlights the broad disconnect between the beliefs of the cosmopolitan elites and the nationalistic public. This increasing divide leads to evermore disjointed policy preferences because the elites fill the foreign policy administrative arm and sit atop the most powerful interest groups. 

What I found most interesting was his discussion of the political influence of foreign groups who are connected to their home countries. Connection to homelands like chain migration, remittances, and maintaining communication with friends and relatives are all regular elements of immigration in an increasingly connected international environment. Attempting to politically influence policy in a foreign country to benefit your home country is an entirely different caliber of behavior. In the beginning of this book, Huntington cites that many of the founding fathers were in favor of restricting immigration because of the ideologies they would bring and the impact it would have on democracy, and I think that they would consider immigrants attempting to change our government’s policy to help their home country as direct evidence of immigration’s harm. The government is supposed to work for its citizens, and the prospect of foreign nationals swaying our policy potentially against our interests and towards their own seems to be anti-American. 

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Reading and Film Presentations and Discussion

Huntington Ch 9 ERA


After spending chapter 8 discussing assimilation patters in America, Huntington turns in chapter 9 to discussing Mexican Immigration. Mexican immigration is different than almost any other ethnic group in many ways. America and Mexico have a special relationship because of their 2000 mile long contiguous border, as well as the fact that they are the only instance where a first world country borders a third world country. Mexican immigration by numbers vastly exceeds those of any other groups by far, with the number in 2000 being almost 6 million higher than the next highest. (Mexico: 7,841,000 China: 1,291,000) Mexican immigration happens illegally at higher rates than other groups. Immigrants concentrate regionally in a way that other groups of immigrants have not, especially as they lived in the country for a couple of generations. Mexican immigration has been persistent in a way that no other major period of immigration from a specific area has been, with the civil war and the great depression having stopped previous waves of immense migration. Perhaps most importantly, no group except for Mexicans is migrating into territory that used to be theirs. Many of the southwestern states were Mexican territory until Texas independence and the Mexican American war. A combination of these factors is hindering the assimilation of Mexican immigrants, and Huntington postulates that this could have disastrous consequences for American identity. He fears that the country might be split into two, with two dominant languages and cultures. Traditionally, nations with that kind of political and cultural organization have had trouble staying together. 

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Short Essays and Responses

Short Essay #3

Learning about American culture and society we have looked at both formalized sources of information about society, and work that reflects said society. The books Who Are We by Samuel Huntington and All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy help to provide us with both formal and informal views into the values and practices of American people. In McCarthy’s book the main character John Grady helps to exemplify the values and worldviews that Huntington describes. John Grady heavily exemplifies individualism and some of the core American values about workmanship throughout the novel. Not only does Grady himself show certain aspects of the American identity that Huntington talks about, but his relationships with his companions does as well. The worldview and values shown by Grady, help us to understand aspects of the American identity that Huntignton speaks about throughout his book. 

In the beginning of the novel by McCarthy Grady decides to leave the ranch that his mother is trying to sell and head down to Mexico and start a new life for himself. Joining him is his friend Rawlins and another accomplice he meets along the way; Blevins. The aspects of American identity and the worldview held by Grady are heavily present throughout the beginning of the novel as Grady and his companions are not only inexperienced in frontier life but also very young as well. Huntington talks about American values and worldview as being ready for anything and being able to go at things alone. Grady does not rely on anyone and even though him and his companions work as a team, there is no sense of dependence on one-another. The rugged frontier and Grady’s ability to navigate this new terrain with little experience is a reflection on many of the American ideals that Huntington sets forth in his book. Huntington speaks on the ideas of individualism and Grady’s decision to leave his home and go to a completely new area is a great example of it. Not only does Grady leave his ranch back home he also works hard in Mexico to prove himself as a good employee on the new ranch he ends up briefly staying at. The ideas of strong workmanship and facing new tough conditions with confidence are strongly present in the worldview presented by Huntington and show us the accuracy in Grady’s representation of American Ideals.

The relationship that Grady has with Blevins and Rawlins also helps to exemplify elements of the American and Anglo-Protestant identity that Huntignton speaks about. Specifically when speaking about Blevins, Grady makes decisions that are not necessarily beneficial to him in order to help Blevins out. When Blevins loses his horse Grady decides to help him steal it back and convinces Rawlins not to abandon him. This sense of togetherness and group strength is an aspect of American identity and is amplified in the face of conflict. When Huntington talks about Americans grouping together in the face of conflict we see a direct parallel to Grady. Not only when helping Blevins is this group strength shown, but towards the end of the novel when Rawlins is ready to give up it is Grady who convinces and motivates him to continue to move forward. Grady’s ability to be strong in the face of conflict and unify the group he is with further shows how he is strongly aligned with the values that Huntingon explains are characterized by an Anglo-Protestant worldview. 

Grady’s alignment to the Anglo-Protestant worldview and culture that Huntington presents helps to show us concrete examples of what that culture entails. The actions and decisions Grady makes show us how his views and ideas are influenced by the Anglo-Protestatn culture and helps us further understand the specific things Huntington spoke about in his book.