Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1993. [Vol. 1.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 21)

BOOK REVIEWS - András Tamóc: Robert Hughes: Culture of Complaint. Oxford University Press, 1993. 203 pp

Derek Walcott, a recent Nobel laureate, he proves that the masterpieces of European literature have universal appeal. Hughes rejects the zero-sum game perception of education where the inclusion of European elements would automatically lead to the exclusion of the achievements of the Third World. He provides an eloquent defense of Eurocentric schooling, arguing that his Jesuit upbringing gave him the basic skills necessary to appreciate other cultures. The author is concerned about an alarmingly anti-European oriented rewriting of history, where the white man and the Old Continent is habitually blamed for all ills that visited the peoples of the Third World. Hughes acknowledges historians' indebtedness to Third World nations for "a systematic neglect of their history, but rejects any attempt to rewrite the past in the name of affirmative action". In the last chapter Hughes raises his voice against the politicization of the art world, asserting that the current controversy around the National Endowment for the Arts, a non-profit organization devoted to the support of struggling artists, is another symptom of the crisis of American culture. Hughes thoughtfully dispels the endearing myth of the therapeutic function of the arts and laments the fact that political correctness crept into the art world. Consequently museums have to navigate between pressures from the American Right and Left and quality and demands for artistic standards are viewed as the sexist and racist white society's attempts to suppress minority artists. Eversince Crevecoeur's inquisitive cry; "What then is the American, this new man?" several attempts have been made the unravel the mystery of American culture. Hughes inquires about the direction America is taking and is concerned about the onset of cultural and political disintegration. The author's greatest asset is his objectivity amidst the emotionally charged atmosphere. He dares discuss issues deemed touchy and too controversial by others and seeks the possibility of intelligent public discourse. Few can argue with Hughes' conclusion that political correctness and multiculturalism signal the crisis of post Cold War America. These trends however, are only the latest manifestations of an American tradition, 180