The American Dream: A Critical Chronology

Sasha Steinberg graduated from Vassar College in May 2009 with a degree in “Modern Literatures” awarded by the Independent Program. He is currently in Moscow on a Fulbright Research Grant. His Fulbright Research Project is entitled “Arts in Public, Publics in Art” and is engaged in apprehending the role of the arts (meaning literature, visual art, theater, film, architecture, etc.) in contemporary Russian society. This is his second lecture at the American Center. "The American Dream: A Critical Chronology" will be an attempt to pick out several illuminating incidents from American cultural history that give us some idea of the social mythologies that dominate America today. This will not be an overview of the texts that gave the "American Dream" its name--it will be a treasure hunt for the events that help us understand its meaning.