American Cultural Identity in the Magic Box;American Movies, Myths, and Being an American in the 20th Century

American cinema is not just a cultural product, it is the nation's most powerful engine of myth-making. Written from the unique vantage point of a Türkiye-based scholar of American Studies, American Cultural Identity in the Magic Box offers a rare, comparative reading of the myths and contradictions that shape the United States. Through films like Raging Bull, Bonnie and Clyde, Forrest Gump, and Dances with Wolves, Eren Alkan uncovers how America imagines itself and how those imaginings both inspire and deceive. Blending myth-criticism, cultural theory, and qualitative analysis, this book reveals the hidden architecture of American identity and the cinematic stories that sustain it. A compelling journey into the myths America tells the world, and one that speaks directly to readers in Türkiye seeking to understand the power behind the “magic box.”