Unmaking an exception: A critical genealogy of U.S. exceptionalism

David Hughes

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    8 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    US exceptionalism is a hot topic in contemporary political discourse in the United States and in recent years it has attracted increasing attention from International Relations (IR) scholars. Unfortunately, however, analysis of US exceptionalism in has been compromised by its failure to historicise the concept and by its reliance on myths cultivated in other disciplines. This article offers a critical genealogy of US exceptionalism in order to expose it for what it is: a discourse that works to legitimate the United States' exceptions to domestic and international law in the minds of its citizens and foreign observers.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)527-551
    Number of pages25
    JournalReview of International Studies
    Volume41
    Issue number03
    Early online date9 Oct 2014
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jul 2015

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