About the author

R.C. De Prospo

R.C. De Prospo has been a college and university professor for over fifty years. He’s published widely in Americanist and theory journals and is the author and editor of five books covering materials as disparate as early American literature, African American literature and culture, and medievalism. He has taught at the University of London and the University of New Hampshire and is currently the Earnest A. Howard Professor of English and Chair of American Studies at Washington College of Maryland.

Exceptionally Backward

Name: Exceptionally Backward
Price: 23.95 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: R.C. De Prospo
ISBN: 9781628945577

Economic, Racial, Gender, and Generation Inequality In a Neo-Colonial US

Price range: $23.95 through $33.95

R.C. De Prospo’s insightful work “Exceptionally Backward” is an deep examination of the intertwined layers of economic, racial, gender, and generational disparities that continue to challenge the notion of equality and opportunity in the United States.

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Categories: History: US, Law and Justice, Political Economy, Social IssuesAuthor: R.C. De Prospo SKU: exceptionally-backward Categories: History: US, Law and Justice, Political Economy, Social Issues Tags: American exceptionalism myth, American identity criticism, American Studies, challenging American myths, critical theory politics, cross-disciplinary social criticism, economic inequality US, Founding Fathers criticism, gender inequality United States, generational wealth gap, Hamilton Madison Jefferson legacy, Harriet Beecher Stowe, history of inequality in America, is America actually exceptional, John C. Calhoun legacy, Marx Das Kapital America, neo-colonial America, originalism constitutional law, progressive political history books, racial inequality history, systemic inequality in America, Thomas Piketty wealth inequality, us political history, W.E.B. Du Bois, wealth gap race and gender Author: R.C. De Prospo

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Is American exceptionalism a fantasy?

R. C. De Prospo, a senior professor, draws on a wide range of disciplines including American Studies, history, literary criticism, and critical theory to examine persistent economic disparities in the U.S.

About the Book

R.C. De Prospo's insightful work "Exceptionally Backward" is an deep examination of the intertwined layers of economic, racial, gender, and generational disparities that continue to challenge the notion of equality and opportunity in the United States. Measuring our performance through objective factual evidence including racial, gender, and generational differences, he argues that ideologies like American exceptionalism and originalism in constitutional law often serve justify or obscure systemic injustices.

Exceptionally Backward: Economic, Racial, Gender, and Generation Inequality in a Neo-Colonial US leads us through close readings of Marx’s Das Kapital and the writings of “enlightened” US founders including Jefferson, and quotes Harriet Beecher Stowe, W.E.B. Du Bois, Thomas Piketty, and others.

Prof. De Prospo illustrates how ideologies like American exceptionalism and "originalism" in constitutional law often serve justify or obscure systemic injustices. The book argues that what’s most exceptional about American culture is its backwardness.

De Prospo highlights how historical injustices, rooted in colonialism, persist today. By integrating economic theory, historical context, and cultural critique, the author sheds light on the systemic factors that sustain inequality. Readers will find engaging discussions on influential figures from Thomas Jefferson to W.E.B. Du Bois, alongside contemporary theorists like Thomas Piketty, providing a broad perspective on America's socio-economic landscape.

This book serves not just as an academic resource but also as a prompt for reflection and dialogue. De Prospo encourages scholars, students, and activists to engage with pressing issues of our time, advocating for a reconsideration of the narratives surrounding justice and equality.

Featuring a thorough bibliography and index, Exceptionally Backward is a valuable resource for those interested in promoting social equity and understanding the challenges of modern America. Join the conversation about the future of equality in the U.S. and discover how learning from our past can contribute to a more equitable tomorrow.

About the Book

R.C. De Prospo has written a sharp, cross-disciplinary challenge to the story America tells about itself. Drawing on American Studies, history, literary criticism, and critical theory, he argues that ideologies like American exceptionalism and constitutional "originalism" don't just reflect inequality — they actively help justify and disguise it. The title itself is a pointed jab: "exceptionally backward" flips the familiar boast of American greatness on its head.

The book works through an ambitious range of thinkers and texts. De Prospo opens with a close reading of Marx's Das Kapital as a lens for understanding US economic inequality, then turns to what he calls the "enlightened" Founders — Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, and Calhoun — putting their legacies under serious scrutiny. A central section brings together three writers separated by more than a century: Harriet Beecher Stowe, W.E.B. Du Bois, and economist Thomas Piketty, whose work on wealth concentration De Prospo connects to the long history of racial and economic injustice in America.

The argument running through all of this is that the US is, in an important sense, neo-colonial — that systemic disparities in wealth, race, gender, and generational opportunity are not accidents or failures of an otherwise fair system, but features of it. De Prospo writes with admitted stylistic informality and a deliberately provocative edge. This is not a book that hedges its conclusions. Readers interested in inequality, political history, or critical takes on American identity will find plenty here to engage with — and argue about.

Additional information

Weight	N/A
Book Type	Ebook, ePub, Hard cover, Soft cover
Pages	312
Release Year	2025
BISAC I	POL040000 POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government
BISAC II	SOC054000 SOCIAL SCIENCE / Slavery
BISAC III	HIS036000 HISTORY / United States / General