Blood Sacrifice and the Nation: Totem Rituals and the American Flag (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780521626095)

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.

Author: Carolyn Marvin, David W. Ingle
ISBN-10: 0521626099
ISBN-13: 9780521626095
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/11/1999
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.48lbs
Size: 8.98h x 6.08w x 1.05d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2000 pg. 220