Flyover Fictions: Polarization in U.S.-American Culture, Media, and Politics

Synopsis

Flyover Fictions critically engages the history and contemporary use of the &“flyover country&” trope in American culture and repurposes the concept as an abstract tool for cultural studies. The term &“flyover&” arose in the 1970s with variations—&“flyover country,&” &“flyover states&”—mainly used as synonyms for the American Midwest in intranational banter regarding cultural differences from the dominant urban centers of New York City and Los Angeles. In recent years, the trope has shifted away from this playfulness and its traditional geographic reference points to indicate larger political and cultural developments that speak of a deepening polarization in the United States.Flyover Fictions is an exploration of the trope&’s current politicization, historical contexts, and general proliferation of meanings. Instead of resolving the ambiguities inherent in the concept, the volume considers what can be done with these ambiguities, and how precisely their fuzziness might be used to create an analytic tool to describe, understand, and critique processes of cultural hierarchization. The contributors show how flyover fictions may operate in different national contexts and also internationally or transnationally, not only providing a fresh perspective on historical and contemporary American culture but also supplying a conceptual toolbox for broader use.

Copyright:

2025

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9781496242525

Related ISBNs:

9781496238993

Publisher:

Nebraska

Date of Addition:

04/01/25

Copyrighted By:

the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Literature and Fiction, Social Studies, Language Arts

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.

Edited by:

Cornelia Klecker

Edited by:

Sascha Pöhlmann