International Comparative Studies of Americanization and Anti-Americanism in a Global Age

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This project aimed at understanding globally widespread anti-Americanism since September 11, 2001 from transnational and transdisciplinary perspectives. Because today's anti-Americanism is unparalleled in both its scope and depth in history, it has stimulated various international studies on it, one of which is this project. The distinctive characteristic of this project is its emphasis on comparative historical perspective, from which we have studied the developmental processes of a variety of anti-Americanism in relation to the expansion of American presence as a global power.This project has proceeded in two ways, that is, individual studies of particular region or country assigned to each co-researcher and a joint international research joined by every co-researcher. In the latter part, international symposia and workshops mainly provided a forum for transnational and transdisciplinary discussions on anti-Americanism as a global phenomenon. To expedite such discussions, those inter … More national meetings took up three major key issues alternately as routes to anti-Americanism. They are American nationalism, American empire, and the relevancy of American studies today.Through these individual and collective endeavors this project achieved common understandings as follow. First, the view of America by other peoples, either a beneficent "Redeemer Nation" or a maleficent giant, is predicated on American exceptionalism. Second, although anti-Americanism is now a global phenomenon, anti-Americanism in any particular place has erupted on different specific issues. Third, America's global presence has caused political, economic, and particularly cultural conflicts in countries all over the world. Each nation now faces strong tension between national identity and universal cultural pressure. And lastly, although the United States tries to cope with the rise of anti-Americanism in the world by diplomatic and other means, it has never succeeded fully. These findings out of this project will contribute to understanding of the dynamic relations between the American power and anti-Americanism in today's world. Less