Is this America? Unfinished business with the U.S. national imaginary, religion and violence
This article first proposes definitions and raises questions about what it means to be a nation. I then analyze the national imaginary of the United States, and suggest that at its deepest core we find "substitute ultimates" regarding America's sacrificial war-culture. This cultural v...
| Published in: | Dialog |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2019]
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| In: |
Dialog
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| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy CG Christianity and Politics KBQ North America NCD Political ethics |
| Further subjects: | B
U.S. war-culture
B Nationalism B prophetic public theology B Violence B Religion B Sacrifice B Moral Injury |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article first proposes definitions and raises questions about what it means to be a nation. I then analyze the national imaginary of the United States, and suggest that at its deepest core we find "substitute ultimates" regarding America's sacrificial war-culture. This cultural violence perpetuates destructive consequences, including the phenomena of "U.S. war-culture," and "moral injury" among military servicemembers and veterans. But widespread legitimation of the imaginary largely inhibits citizens from awareness about their own reality. Lastly, I inquire about the role of prophetic public theology to address nationalism, and engage in a thought experiment with an imagined community of diverse partners. |
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| ISSN: | 1540-6385 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Dialog
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/dial.12451 |