LEADER 02587nam 2200397 450 001 9910597898503321 005 20221222230116.0 010 $a0-271-05365-8 035 $a(CKB)3240000000064632 035 $a(NjHacI)993240000000064632 035 $a(EXLCZ)993240000000064632 100 $a20221222d2015 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur||||||||||| 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent 182 $cc$2rdamedia 183 $acr$2rdacarrier 200 10$aFeudal America $eelements of the Middle Ages in contemporary society /$fVladimir Shlapentokh and Joshua Woods 210 1$aUniversity Park, Pa. :$cPenn State University Press,$d[2015] 210 4$dİ2015 215 $a1 online resource (x, 170 pages) 311 $a0-271-07502-3 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 330 $aDo Americans live in a liberal capitalist society, where evenhanded competition rules the day, or a society in which big money, private security, and personal relations determine key social outcomes? Vladimir Shlapentokh and Joshua Woods argue that the answer to these questions cannot be found among the conventional models used to describe the nation. Offering a new analytical tool, the authors present a provocative explanation of the nature of contemporary society by comparing its essential characteristics to those of medieval European societies. Their feudal model emphasizes five elements: the weakness of the state and its inability to protect its territory, guarantee the security of its citizens, and enforce laws; conflicts and collusions between and within organizations that involve corruption and other forms of illegal or semilegal actions; the dominance of personal relations in political and economic life; the prevalence of an elitist ideology; and the use of private agents and organizations for the provision of safety and security. Feudal America urges readers to suspend their forward-thinking and futurist orientations, question linear notions of social and historical progression, and look for explanations of contemporary social problems in medieval European history. 517 $aFeudal America: Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society 607 $aUnited States$xSocial conditions$y21st century 607 $aUnited States$xEconomic conditions$y21st century 676 $a306.0973 700 $aShlapentokh$b Vladimir$0675978 702 $aWoods$b Joshua 801 0$bNjHacI 801 1$bNjHacl 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910597898503321 996 $aFeudal America$92995328 997 $aUNINA