Song, Sarah. "What does it mean to be American?" Daedalus 138, no. 2 (April, 2009): 31-40. (pdf)

Potential Discussion Questions

1)      Overall, what is your impression of Song’s article?

2)      Is historian Philip Gleason’s quote on p. 31 correct? Is all it takes to be an American the will to accept certain ideals? Race, linguistics, ethnicity, and etc., does not matter?

3)      What are our shared principles as an American nation?

4)      What is solidarity? What is civic solidarity?

5)      Why does Song want solidarity to be both thick and thin? (p. 32)

6)      Why does civic solidarity matter, per Song? What do you think of her three reasons?

7)      Considering Song’s three purposes for it, is civic solidarity working in America today?

8)      On p. 32 Song says our common national ideals are put forth in a series of historical documents. Did she forget any? Why did she include the ones she did?

9)      How did they change the citizenship test in 2008? Why? (p.33)

10)   What does the inclusion of language on the citizenship test prove?

11)   Is constitutional nationhood more inclusive of newcomers than the Old World cultural definitions of a nation?

12)   How did the naturalization laws change over time? (p. 34)

13)   What is liberal nationalism? How does it differ from constitutional nationalism?

14)   What do you think of David Miller’s ideas about nationhood on p. 34, column 2?

15)   Ethnic nationalism is closed. Civic nationalism is open so long as someone accepts the national culture? What is America’s national culture?

16)   Does America have an ethnic (English) and religious (Protestant Christian) core and do Americans have to adopt these cultures to some degree even if they aren’t English or Christians?

17)   Are some immigrants to America more alien than others, like the German example on p.36?

18)   What do you think of Taylor’s “deep diversity” idea, that people can belong to America and to each other in different ways? (p. 36)

19)   Are Mexican-Americans, Mexican culturally and American politically or are they Mexican American culturally and Mexican American politically?

20)   Do immigrant groups shape and reshape American culture? American politics? Examples?