What Shapes a National Identity?

About this episode

Colin Woodard discusses the complexities of national identity in the United States and his research on its distinct regional cultures.

Is the United States a nation state? Does it have a national identity? On this episode of the Transatlantic, scholar Colin Woodard discusses his early career experiences as a journalist in Eastern Europe and the Balkans at the end of the Cold War and how that work informs his work on national identity in the United States. He then talks about his current research uncovering what he describes as eleven distinct nations that make up the United States and how their clashing cultures and traditions have defined the country's struggle to form a national story and identity. Colin Woodard – a New York Times bestselling historian and Polk Award-winning journalist – is one of the most respected authorities on North American regionalism, the sociology of United States nationhood, and how our colonial past shapes and explains the present. Compelling, dynamic and thought provoking, he offers a fascinating look at where America has come from, how we ended up as we are, and how we might shape our future. Author of the award winning Wall Street Journal bestseller American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America , Woodard has written six books including The…

People in this episode

Guest: Colin Woodard

Topics covered

• national identity
• United States
• regional cultures
• journalism
• Cold War
• sociology
• history

Keywords

• national identity
• Colin Woodard
• regionalism
• United States
• Cold War
• cultural clash
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Times, Polk Award

Books & works: American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, The Republic of Pirates, Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood

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