Cultural Identity and Americanization: The Life History of a Jewish Anarchist

If, as Dilthey contends, the individual is a "point of intersection" for historical and cultural structures, then one must account for the social and psychological dynamics of that intersection. Following the insights of Dilthey, the paper turns to an inquiry of the relevant work of Sartre and Erikson. The theoretical perspectives of Dilthey, Sartre, Erikson, and their interpreters are critically analyzed in order to investigate the concept of cultural identity and the process and movement for Americanization which developed in the first part of the twentieth century. By focusing on the life and projects of Joseph J. Cohen, a Jewish immigrant and anarchist, a case study is developed for the exploration of the meaning of cultural identity and radicalism in American life.