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This co-authored paper seeks to describe a recent epistemological trend in both American art history and visual culture studies, i.e. the tendency towards de-estheticizing art and visual culture and re-contextualizing visual works in social, cultural, and political terms. The first part of the paper examines more specifically the concerns and methods adopted in a number of recent prominent books and exhibitions on American art. It emphasizes an increasing appeal to broad contextualization and a growing skepticism with the traditional quest for "Americanness" in American art. The second part deals with similar trends in the field of visual culture. It registers a predominantly theoretical and political approach, which it attributes to the inspiration of W.J.T. Mitchell’s pioneering work. Finally, the relevance of these trends to the field of American studies in France is emphasized, especially with regard to the predominantly traditionalist conception of art and art history in the French academia.