The Myth of American Exceptionalism

I listened to a very interesting piece on the Diane Rehm radio show yesterday. Godfrey Hodgson, Associate fellow at Rothermere American Institute at Oxford University, talked with Diane about his new book The Myth of American Exceptionalism.

"Almost from the nation’s founding, Americans have thought of their country as having a unique role in the world. A British commentator explains why he believes the U.S. is not as exceptional as it often believes."

Don't think that this is simply an outsider's view. Professor Hodgson spent many years in the US, as a reporter for The Washington Post, working in 48 of the 50 US states.

The piece is long, but worth spending the time to listen to in its entirety.

Godfrey Hodgson: "The Myth of American Exceptionalism" (Yale) - Diane Rehm show, Thursday January 15, 2009

Here's a link to the book: The Myth of American Exceptionalism