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The essay, divided into five sections, explores how the Cultural Space called 'America' (and 'Americanism') are reflected in the works of a far-away literary-cultural community called Bangla (or Bengali) in South Asia, and how this inter-relationship was strengthened by Rabindranath Tagore. It begins with the post-Tagore post-WWII literary scene where America occurs as a backdrop and then touches upon Tagore's contemporaries who referred to America. But it focuses on how Tagore, in his polemical writing, views the role of America in the international arena, or how he conceptualises Indo-American relations while commenting on American Society and its beliefs and practices - especially how it handles linguistic plurality, majority-minority relationships, and less-privileged groups. In particular, it discusses the concepts such as Individuality, Plurality, Diversity, Liberty and Civilization - all relevant for foreign policy initiatives then as well as now, and how America is viewed as a land of promise and opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the relationship between British Muslims and America, especially in the post-11 September era, is examined through the lens of intercultural cognitive theory. Within this theoretical framework, America is divided into five synchronic layers: l) the American political system, 2) American capitalism, 3) American intellectuals, 4) dissident cultures of America and 5) the people or 'common society' of America. While these five facets of American society are closely interlinked in terms of gauging the USA's international effects, their relationship to local and global powers is different. This article will qualitatively analyse the results of 85 interviews with British Muslims from a variety of ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. With reference to this material, the article presents a typology of different views and ideas about the totality of America, and the reasons why Muslims have a 'negative understanding of the United States.' The reasons for denial about, acceptance of, and assimilation into American culture are also examined. An understanding of 'intercultural communication between two different cultures' will inform this analysis, using a general framework of ethnocentrism, ethnorelativism and religiocentrism. We should take into account the empowerment of individuality, which is based on the development of higher education and pluralization of knowledge along with new modes of communications with 'others.' These have created a new social orientation, concerned with arriving at 'universal values'—a new humanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]