# The Forum: What does it mean to be an American?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/cville-right-now-6925765/the-forum-what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-american
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/cville-right-now-6925765/the-forum-what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-american.md
Podcast: [Cville Right Now](https://stenobird.com/podcast/cville-right-now-6925765)
Published: 2026-06-22T18:25:37+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/15cbff27
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/15cbff27/6ab723f1.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/cville-right-now-6925765/episodes/the-forum-what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-american
Duration seconds: 3759

## Resource

Welcome to The Forum! Host Marshall LeMert examines what the key components that make up the American "civilization" are, through the lens of Sid Meier's Civilization video game series, and the framework of sociologist V. Gordon Childe's definition of civilization. George Mason University Professor of History Michael O'Malley joins to discuss Americans' fascination with their ancestry, and shares a wild story from his own family history, detailed further in his book The Color of Family. Read Karin Wulf's article on Hannah Waterman's family history for Smithsonian Magazine HERE . What do you think makes Americans Americans? Email Marshall at Wlemert@cvillemedia.com Use of audio and media clips in this episode is protecting under Fair Use. Thanks for visiting The Forum, follow the podcast at Cvillerightnow.com!

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## Transcript

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