Winning: Reflections on an American Obsession - Softcover

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Francesco Duina is professor and head of sociology at the University of British Columbia and visiting professor in the Department of Business and Politics at the Copenhagen Business School. He is the author of The Social Construction of Free Trade (Princeton), Institutions and the Economy, and Harmonizing Europe.

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"Winning offers a penetrating journey into our competitive spirit. It challenges our everyday assumptions about the good life and how we pursue, but seldom attain, happiness. Arguing that much needs to change about the American mind-set, this book will interest anyone willing to step back and reflect on what has clearly become a national obsession."--Emil M. Dabora, Harvard Management Company

"Winning takes a beautiful and engaging look at America's love affair with competition and with avoiding defeat at all costs. Relying on a comparative framework, Duina shows that American society pays a price for emphasizing winning precisely because Americans are so often confused by what this means. With a wealth of superb examples drawn from entertainment, sports, education, politics, and business, Winning encourages us to step back and reconsider our obsession with the ultimate prize."--Paulette Kurzer, University of Arizona

"Duina's accessible examination of the language of winning and losing reveals that competition is not a human universal, but a historical and cultural phenomenon. Making ample use of examples from popular culture, he shows that competition's prominence in America arises from our unsatisfied desire for a clear, positive, and socially approved identity. Winning is a worthy addition to the literature on the sociology of culture."--Liah Greenfeld, Boston University