Page 150 - Šolsko polje, XXVIII, 2017, no. 3-4: Education and the American Dream, ed. Mitja Sardoč
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šolsko polje, letnik xxviii, številka 3–4
viduals. “/…/ idiorrhythm is almost a pleonasm: the interstices, the fugi-
tivity of the code, of the manner in which the individual inserts himself
into the social (for natural) code” (Barthes, 2013: pp. 7–8). Barthes brings
to light a specific interaction between seclusion and community, and thus
on the basis of his analysis of literary texts, suggests the idea of idiorrhyt-
mic movement as constitutive for a formation of togetherness. The im-
aginary, which is essentially contained in the language form of referenc-
es to the American Dream, is one version of addressing the problem of
dealing with idiorrhythm. The individual is in a paradoxical way sum-
moned into individualism by subjecting himself to hard work, which –
even if it’s done in solitude – involves other individuals or a society. All
these – and many other – conceptual “elements” amount to the idea of
culture. The American Dream thus makes a significant part of a specific-
ity of American culture. However, we may ask whether this means that
the American Dream constitutes the imaginary world of Americans only
or it (also) enters through cultural exchanges into phantasmatic univers-
es of other cultures? Since the first migrants to an unknown world, which
has been known under the name of America, were Europeans, who es-
caped poverty, religious persecutions, late feudal oppressions, ethnic vio-
lence, anti-Semitism etc., it might well be said that the American Dream
has its roots in an essentially “European Dream”. Therefore, the Amer-
ican Dream could be interpreted as a continuation of ideas, which had
their roots in those European peoples, whose emigrants built the founda-
tions of American society. Whatever we can imagine about the processes
of the formation of American culture – of course, including all the dark
sides like the extermination of Indians and the slave trade with Africa –
the idea of the American dream has been generated through multicultur-
al interactions.
American Transcendentalism
The concept of culture by and large evokes the opuses of intellect in phi-
losophy, arts and sciences. Culture in a broader sense is ultimately unim-
aginable without such components. What does this imply for the notion
of American Dream? In view of this question the importance of the dis-
tinction – which I proposed through my reading of Ghosh’s book – con-
cerning the role of ideology in regard to American Dream, becomes more
visible. Sophisticated contributions in humanities and art are rarely iden-
tifiable with ideology in any sense, which is accepted by relevant scholars.
Far from being just an object of illusions of everyday consciousness, the
American Dream possess a body of highly articulate ideas and it is repre-
sented by many works of literature and art – emphatically including the
148
viduals. “/…/ idiorrhythm is almost a pleonasm: the interstices, the fugi-
tivity of the code, of the manner in which the individual inserts himself
into the social (for natural) code” (Barthes, 2013: pp. 7–8). Barthes brings
to light a specific interaction between seclusion and community, and thus
on the basis of his analysis of literary texts, suggests the idea of idiorrhyt-
mic movement as constitutive for a formation of togetherness. The im-
aginary, which is essentially contained in the language form of referenc-
es to the American Dream, is one version of addressing the problem of
dealing with idiorrhythm. The individual is in a paradoxical way sum-
moned into individualism by subjecting himself to hard work, which –
even if it’s done in solitude – involves other individuals or a society. All
these – and many other – conceptual “elements” amount to the idea of
culture. The American Dream thus makes a significant part of a specific-
ity of American culture. However, we may ask whether this means that
the American Dream constitutes the imaginary world of Americans only
or it (also) enters through cultural exchanges into phantasmatic univers-
es of other cultures? Since the first migrants to an unknown world, which
has been known under the name of America, were Europeans, who es-
caped poverty, religious persecutions, late feudal oppressions, ethnic vio-
lence, anti-Semitism etc., it might well be said that the American Dream
has its roots in an essentially “European Dream”. Therefore, the Amer-
ican Dream could be interpreted as a continuation of ideas, which had
their roots in those European peoples, whose emigrants built the founda-
tions of American society. Whatever we can imagine about the processes
of the formation of American culture – of course, including all the dark
sides like the extermination of Indians and the slave trade with Africa –
the idea of the American dream has been generated through multicultur-
al interactions.
American Transcendentalism
The concept of culture by and large evokes the opuses of intellect in phi-
losophy, arts and sciences. Culture in a broader sense is ultimately unim-
aginable without such components. What does this imply for the notion
of American Dream? In view of this question the importance of the dis-
tinction – which I proposed through my reading of Ghosh’s book – con-
cerning the role of ideology in regard to American Dream, becomes more
visible. Sophisticated contributions in humanities and art are rarely iden-
tifiable with ideology in any sense, which is accepted by relevant scholars.
Far from being just an object of illusions of everyday consciousness, the
American Dream possess a body of highly articulate ideas and it is repre-
sented by many works of literature and art – emphatically including the
148
