Fascism in America: Previewing a Look at Recent Alternate Histories

I've been AWOL from my blog for a few months now, but I have a good excuse.  As you'll see below, I've been busy working diligently with my good friend and co-editor, Janet Ward (U. Oklahoma), to get our new edited volume ready for publication.

The book is (unfortunately) about real history, not counterfactual history.  But my contribution to the volume is, in fact, entirely about "what ifs."  Entitled “Fascism in American Culture: How Alternate a History?” my chapter explores how works of alternate history have explored the United States’ fascist potential by examining how American history might have turned out differently. 

Here is how the introduction previews the essay:

"Since the 1930s, many works of American culture – novels, films, television shows, and comic books – have explored the possibility that this country might one day embrace fascism. More recently, the era of Donald Trump has given rise to some of the most pessimistic and urgent counterfactual assessments to date of this country’s commitment to democracy: The Man in the High Castle (2015-2019), Hunters (2019-2023), Watchmen (2019), and The Plot Against America (2020). The essay examines these TV series’ respective representations of collaboration, racism, and antisemitism. It also examines the degree to which alternate history has both anticipated the domestic turn toward fascism and offered a possible method of combating it by universalizing its significance."

The book will be out in late August or early September.

Updates to follow!