Blood Sacrifice and the Nation: Totem Rituals and the American Flag (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies) (Paperback)

by Carolyn Marvin (Author), David W. Ingle (Author) "What binds the nation together?..." (more)
Key Phrases: parsed flag, totem authority, affiliative groups, World War, United States, Betsy Ross (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This is a book for those who are willing to examine some of their most basic assumptions about what it means to be an American. ...well written..." Choice

Product Description
The authors argue that American patriotism is a civil religion organized around a sacred flag, whose followers engage in periodic blood sacrifice of their own children to unify the group. Using an anthropological theory, this groundbreaking book presents and explains the ritual sacrifices and regeneration that constitute American nationalism, the factors making particular elections or wars successful or unsuccessful rituals, the role of the mass media in the process, and the sense of malaise that has pervaded American society during the post-World War II period.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (March 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521626099
• ISBN-13: 978-0521626095
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #566,061 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN INSTANT CLASSIC, June 25, 2001

By	Richard Koenigsberg "Richard A. Koenigsberg, ... (Elmhurst, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This is a great work of social science, one of the most significant books of our time. Marvin and Ingle state that "The underlying cost of all society is the violent death of some of its members." In contrast to the view that societal violence is something that occasionally "happens" in spite of our best efforts, the authors argue that violence is INHERENT WITHIN THE VERY NATURE AND STRUCTURE OF "SOCIETY."

Many writers speak about the naturally "aggressive" nature of human beings. Marvin and Ingle understand that violence has a deeper source, namely the societal compulsion to SACRIFICE ITS OWN MEMBERS IN THE NAME OF THE SACRED (NATIONAL) IDEAL. It is this SACRIFICAL meaning of violence that human beings refuse to perceive.

The authors state that "OUR DEEPEST SECRET, THE COLLECTIVE GROUP TABOO, IS KNOWLEDGE THAT SOCIETY DEPENDS ON THE DEATH OF SACRIFICIAL VICTIMS AT THE HANDS OF THE GROUP ITSELF."

Our capacity to understand the nature of human society requires perceiving this relationship between sacred groups and collective violence. This book represents a significant step toward revealing and articulating this relationship.

The book is highly recommended for social theorists, anthropologists, historians and political scientists.