Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, American Culture Studies
This dissertation examines the experiences of the final Cold War generation. I define this
cohort as a subset of Generation X born between 1965 and 1971. The primary focus of this
dissertation is to study the ways this cohort interacted with the three messages found embedded
within the Cold War us vs. them binary. These messages included an emphasis on American
exceptionalism, a manufactured and heightened fear of World War III, as well as the othering of
the Soviet Union and its people. I begin the dissertation in the 1970s, - during the period of
detente- where I examine the cohort's experiences in elementary school. There they learned who
was important within the American mythos and the rituals associated with being an American.
This is followed by an examination of 1976's bicentennial celebration, which focuses on not
only the planning for the celebration but also specific events designed to fulfill the two prime
directives of the celebration. As the 1980s came around not only did the Cold War change but
also the cohort entered high school. Within this stage of this cohorts education, where I focus on
the textbooks used by the cohort and the ways these textbooks reinforced notions of patriotism
and being an American citizen. The dissertation ends with a textual analysis of the various
popular television, film and music that reinforce the three messages found within the us vs. them
binary, and the ways these texts served to continue this cohort's socialization.
Committee: Andrew Schocket Ph.D. (Advisor); Karen Guzzo Ph.D. (Other); Benjamin Greene Ph.D. (Committee Member); Rebecca Mancuso Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Subjects: American Studies; History; Sociology