Justice Beyond "Just Us"

Those reciting the Pledge of Allegiance (in all its iterations) conclude by promising fealty to a republic with "justice for all," yet a cursory look at US history suggests that there are many times and situations for which this really means "justice for just us." In this work, Streich (U. of Central Missouri) explores American historical discourses that have embedded the idea of "justice for just us" or the idea of "justice beyond just us" as they have been normatively and politically articulated at different times and places in American history and considers the various factors that have tended to favor one or the other discursive framing of the notion of justice in American political thought. The emphasis is entirely on promoting "justice beyond just us" to the entire national polity, although he briefly acknowledges the importance of the question beyond national borders. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Gregory W. Streich is professor of political science at the University of Central Missouri and has published articles in Citizenship Studies, Journal of Social Philosophy, and Constellations. His current research examines the impact of social diversification and economic inequality on conceptions of national identity, justice, social capital, and citizenship.