Blood Sacrifice and the Nation - Totem Rituals and the American Flag

A groundbreaking study of American patriotism and the symbolic power of the national flag.

List of contents

1. Introduction; 2. That old flag magic; 3. Theorizing the flagbody; 4. The totem myth; 5. Death touchers and border crossers; 6. Totem memory and succession; 7. Refreshing the borders; 8. Dismemberment and reconstruction; 9. Fresh blood, Public meat; 10. One size fits all; 11. Epilogue; Appendix 1. The flag in life: Representational politics of the Stars and Stripes David W. Ingle and Carolyn Marvin; Appendix 2. Representative coding categories.

Summary

American patriotism is a civil religion organized around a sacred flag. Its citizens periodically sacrifice their children to unify the group. Using an anthropological approach, this groundbreaking study explains the rituals of American nationalism, and analyses the malaise pervading post-war American society.

Product details

• Authors: David Ingle, David W. Ingle, David W. (University of Pennsylvania) Ingle, Carolyn Marvin, Carolyn (University of Pennsylvania) Marvin
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 26.09.2014
• EAN: 9780521623452
• ISBN: 978-0-521-62345-2
• No. of pages: 416
• Dimensions: 157 mm x 235 mm x 29 mm
• Weight: 823 g
• Series: Cambridge Cultural Social Studies; Cambridge Cultural Social Stud
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Politics; Social sciences, law, business > Ethnology > Ethnology