The United States at 250: Neo-Patriotism, Propaganda, and History

Session Submission Type: Paper Session (90 minute)

Description

ASA 2026 has the distinction of falling on the nation's semiquincentennial. Conservative groups have viewed this anniversary as an opportunity to push for a renewed sense of patriotism and uncomplicated view of the country's history. New civics curricula are being rolled out and grand monuments are being built in Washington, DC for the occasion. In a climate of eroding free speech protections, those challenging these efforts are branded as dangerous and anti-American. These developments throw into sharp relief the widespread use of propaganda campaigns, censorship, and similar strategies which have enormous consequences for what and how histories are told, and how people learn and remember. On the country's 250th anniversary, this panel invites papers that consider these questions and more regarding history and remembrance, especially as they bear on the intersections of race, gender, social class, and power. How can sociologists help explain how various constituencies choose to mark, celebrate, or challenge a nation's anniversary? How, why, and when do groups and actors consent and dissent to patriotism? What from history can help us understand what it means for a country to look back on 250 years? Given our present crises, how are some imagining alternative futures into the next 250 years? And how might propaganda, censorship, free speech violations, and mis/disinformation help us understand any of this?

Sub Unit

• Race, Gender, and Class Section / The United States at 250: Neo-Patriotism, Propaganda, and History

Presider

• Dalton Lackey, University of Maryland-College Park

Individual Presentations

• The Nation of Immigrants: How Gen Z and Millennials Accept and Contest the Metaphor - Eileen Díaz McConnell, Arizona State University-Tempe; Nilda Flores-Gonzalez, Arizona State University-Tempe; Nathan D. Martin, Arizona State University-Tempe

• Reimagining the American Dream: Decolonizing and Reclaiming a National Ethos - Jessica Vasquez-Tokos, University of Oregon; Alejandra Pedraza, University of Oregon

• America “Exactly as It Is”: Representing Diversity and Inequality in the Fulbright Program - Hye Jee Kim, Stanford University

• Immigrant Positionality and American Citizenship: Understanding Chinese Immigrant Support for Trump through Nationalist Narratives - Wendy Chao, Columbia University; Jialiang Ling, Fudan University

Discussant

• Dalton Lackey, University of Maryland-College Park

Session Organizer

• Freeden Blume Oeur, Tufts University