The Proud Decades by John Patrick Diggins
What happens when public figures' private selves are put forth for examination by public audiences? How do the personal struggles of music artists, specifically those with immigrant backgrounds, compare to the private struggles of other individuals? At a time when many countries in the European Union experience an increase in far-right political party activities, how do individuals from the margins negotiate new ways of thinking about identity, offering hope for greater understanding of shared struggles across societies? This book offers interpretations of identity and belonging by examining the work of two music artists, Faudel Belloua from France and Adam Tensta from Sweden. By analyzing texts produced by these individuals, I argue that ongoing engagement with the materials produced by Belloua and Tensta, a process which I refer to as living biography, presents a unique window into the process of how Belloua and Tensta connect personal struggles to public issues, providing a compelling departure point for further discussions on how interpretations of national identity are changing in France and Sweden and beyond.
"A superbly and provocatively written account that somehow successfully combines social, cultural, political, and diplomatic history (Kinsey, Bogart, McCarthy, Eisenhower, along with many others) to give us the overview we have needed of that mid-century shift that changed the course of American life—even before we entered the Sixties" -- Walter LaFeber, Cornell University
John Patrick Diggins is the author of The Rise and Fall of the American Left and The Proud Decades: 1941–1960, in addition to biographies of John Adams and Max Weber. He is a distinguished professor of history at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He lives in New York City.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780393956566 |
| ISBN 10 | 0393956563 |
| Title | The Proud Decades |
| Author | John Patrick Diggins |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | WW Norton & Co |
| Year published | 1989-10-25 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |