The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History offers a record of the nation's values, aspirations, anxieties, and beliefs as expressed in both everyday life and formal bodies of thought. The encyclopedia incorporates popular entertainment ranging from minstrel shows to video games, middlebrow ventures like Chautauqua lectures and book clubs, and preoccupations such as "perfectionism" and "wellness" that have shaped Americans' behavior at various points in the past and that continue to influence attitudes in the present. The work also make available recent scholarly insights into the writings of political scientists, philosophers, feminist theorists, social reformers, and other thinkers whose works have furnished the underpinnings of Americans' civic activities and personal concerns.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.