On the US culture wars, then and now.

Historian Andrew Hartman, author of A War for the Soul of America, talks to Alex about how US Americans have been sorted into cultural camps over the past fifty years. We discuss:

• Who started it? And who perpetuates it?

• What is the "culture" in the culture war? And is it a war, or a series of skirmishes?

• Is there something particularly American about culture wars?

• The culture wars have followed the breakup of liberalism – so, what comes next?

• Do culture wars necessarily presuppose identity politics?

Links:

• A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars, Andrew Hartman, UC Press

• The Culture Wars are Dead, Andrew Hartman, The Baffler