The Flaying of America's Utopia: What New Dreams Can Be Imagined?

Authors

Rachel Robbins-Whited

Abstract

Amid the collapse of American constitutionalism and the crisis of late capitalism, this paper argues for the urgent reimagining of global education through Critical Globalization Studies (CGS). Drawing from world-systems analysis, Fordism, and utopian theory, it traces how the United States exported capitalist hegemony globally, contributing to our current interregnum. The paper proposes CGS and Critical Global Citizenship Education (CGCE) as pedagogical tools for cultivating ethical, justice-oriented youth capable of imagining post-capitalist futures. Emphasizing glocalization and the legitimacy of non-Western epistemologies, the work calls for a reversal of hegemonic flows, where peripheral cultures help to reshape global education. It addresses critiques of indoctrination, asserting that CGS teaches how, not what, to think. As authoritarianism rises, the paper calls on educators to act subversively and strategically while they still can, sowing the seeds for a more equitable global society.

Keywords: critical globalization studies, Fordism, utopia, world-systems analysis

Recommended Citation

Robbins-Whited, Rachel (2025) "The Flaying of America's Utopia: What New Dreams Can Be Imagined?," Impact: A Journal of Community and Cultural Inquiry in Education: Vol. 3: No. 1, pp.49-61.
Available at: https://commons.emich.edu/impact/vol3/iss1/9