Before the American Chapter, Kanslibyrån had mainly operated in Sweden, where the characters of different Swedish cities made their mark, with their infrastructure, commerce, street life and cultural offerings. Kanslibyrån wanted to export its subjective and site specific perspective and apply it in a more global context, and thus went to the Mecca of popular culture: New York.

In October 2010, Kanslibyrån landed in the United States, to see the American everyday life from the tourist's perspective. USA is especially interesting with its strong influence on the Swedish Lifestyle, social patterns and values. The American Chapter is an attack on Western norms in general and American norms in particular.