ABSTRACT
The principles of self-determination and freedom abstractly embodied in theories of democracy clash with the desires of cultural, ethnic, or religious groups to create social systems predicated on their own traditional beliefs. Perhaps most significant, the globalization of the labor force and the mobility of international commodity capitalism create economic competition that often exploits the resources of patriotic nationalism and of racial, ethnic, and gender bigotry. The politics of Political Correctness in American culture, then, unfolds as part of a contradictory global transformation that has local effects. Since the Revolution of 1776, literary journalists, critics, and artists have repeatedly called for a uniquely "American" literature. The United States became a postcolonial nation on that famous Fourth of July and went on to become a rarity—a former colony that would itself become an imperial, colonial power. The economic interdependency of the globe's regions continues to increase, defying the tide of tribalism as multinational corporations continue to transgress political borders.
