Combining the most powerful elements of Foucault's theories, Clifford produces a methodology for cultural and political critique called "political genealogy" to explore the genesis of modern political identity. At the core of American identity, Clifford argues, is the ideal of the "Savage Noble," a hybrid that married the Native American "savage" with the "civilized" European male. This complex icon animates modern politics, and has shaped our understandings of rights, freedom, and power.

In this book, Michael Clifford lays the groundwork for the formalization of political genealogy as a recognized methodology of theoretical inquiry. Appealing to scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines in the social sciences and the humanities, this book looks to our future by focusing on the history of our present and on what being a political subject will be like in a post-representational world.