Waking Up from a Dream: The American Myth of Social Mobility

Authors

  • Ewa Grzeszczyk Medical University of Warsaw, Poland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/AdAmericam.15.2014.15.04

Abstract

This text deals with the myth of America as a country in which anyone who has any ability and passion to work hard can achieve a level of prosperity in accordance with his aspirations. I will refer to both faith in the American Dream, in light of not only historical but also the latest research on social mobility, and the universal belief that America is a more egalitarian country than the countries of Europe – which research has shown to be only a common belief, unconfirmed by facts. However, this well‑worn belief not only motivates Americans to increase their efforts, but also continues to attract many immigrants from all over the world, including those from Poland.

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Author Biography

  • Ewa Grzeszczyk, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland

    sociologist and art historian, earned her doctoral degree in 2001; her dissertation on American models of success in Poland of the 1990s was published as Sukces: amerykańskie wzory – polskie realia (IFiS PAN, 2003). In addition to being affiliated with the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, where she received her graduate training and where she continued as a research associate, she was assistant professor at the American Studies Center, University of Warsaw, from 2000 until her premature death in 2009. Grzeszczyk also studied at the University of Łódź, University of Ghent, University of Cambridge, and the Central European University in Prague and in Budapest.

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Published

30-12-2014

Issue

Vol. 15 (2014)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2014 Ewa Grzeszczyk

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Grzeszczyk, Ewa. “Waking Up from a Dream: The American Myth of Social Mobility”. Ad Americam, vol. 15, Dec. 2014, pp. 39-53, https://doi.org/10.12797/AdAmericam.15.2014.15.04.