Introduction: Transnational American Studies in the "Age of Trump"

• Main Authors: Sabine Kim, Greg Robinson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: eScholarship Publishing, University of California 2017-10-01
• Series: Journal of Transnational American Studies
• Subjects: age of trump, borders, anti-immigration policies, borderlands
• Online Access: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/7xb153vv

<p>Introduction by issue editors.</p><p>This issue represents our journal’s first appearance after the onset of what multiple Americanists have referred to, and not in overly positive fashion, as the “Age of Trump.” A central theme of Trump administration discourse is its strident defense of physical borders  manifested in harshly exclusionary policies, most notably the administration’s abandoning of the existing DACA program, as well as fostering increased visibility of white nationalist groups and openly racist discourse. At the same time, the White House, led by the president, has distinguished itself by its nationalist attacks on international trade and multilateral diplomacy. As scholars of American Studies based outside the United States, we both feel a special responsibility to make use of our position to investigate and discuss the larger forces at play here. One thing that larger transnational approaches can help reveal is the complex interface between national identity, domestic politics, and state policy, especially in regard to international relations.</p>