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Events
Jan. 9 | Call for papers: Identities and Technocultures
A 2-day conference about American culture and technologies that examines how new technologies dominate and define Americaness in the US and abroad. Co-sponsored by the University of Iowa Center for Ethnic Studies and the Arts (CESA) and the Mid-America American Studies Association (MAASA).
Resources: Abstracts of American Studies Dissertations
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Minnick, Ann. "`Came to Believe:' An Examination of the Context, Meaning, and Significance of Al-Anon, a Contemporary American Site of Spiritual and Moral Renewal," Program in American Studies, University of Minnesota, May 1994.
This dissertation is about Al-Anon, a program of self-discovery and spiritual healing using the Twelve Step method of recovery pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous. Al-Anon was founded in 1951 by wives of alcoholics who were struggling with the effects of alcoholism on themselves and their families. I sought to understand the meaning of Al-Anon involvement for currently active members using an ethnographic approach. I conclude that Al-Anon is a contemporary site of spiritual renewal and moral reconstruction for primarily white, middle-class, middle-aged, Protestant Americans who report to be experiencing a crisis of identity.
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