From: "Chris Andersen" <cta1-AT-ualberta.ca> Subject: RE: [BOU:] War, Death and History Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 13:06:14 -0600 Why do we keep getting these same links? -----Original Message----- From: owner-bourdieu-AT-lists.village.Virginia.EDU [mailto:owner-bourdieu-AT-lists.village.Virginia.EDU] On Behalf Of Orion Anderson Sent: October 19, 2004 9:42 AM To: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.Virginia.EDU Subject: [BOU:] War, Death and History War, Death and History In the First World War, human beings were proud of the endless rows of white crosses that memorialized the dead soldiers even as the war was being fought. They didn't realize that the war was fought in order to create the crosses. Nations exist because memorials testify to the fact that people have died in their name. Soldiers in World War did what they were asked to do: They got out of trenches and ran into artillery shells and machine-gun fire. However, the cause of the killing and dying was obscure; the source was murky. Wars happen. When wars happen, soldiers die. Today, we are not unaware of the relationship between human agency, war and the death of the soldier. We know that wars are the result of choices that people make. Since we know that we have chosen war--that we are the cause of the soldier's death--we're not so proud of memorials. We no longer flaunt them. In fact, we sometimes hide them. We don't want to be excessively conscious of the results of our choices. _____ Richard Koenigsberg's writings have revolutionized our understanding of the sources of societal violence. To read his papers (listed below) on war, genocide and civilizational self-destruction, PLEASE <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=bis8g6n6.0.0.85y8w8n6.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhome.ear thli nk.net%2F%7Elibraryofsocialscience%2F> CLICK HERE or visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~libraryofsocialscience/ <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=bis8g6n6.0.0.85y8w8n6.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhome.ear thli nk.net%2F%7Elibraryofsocialscience> * AS THE SOLDIER DIES, SO DOES THE NATION COME ALIVE: The Sacrificial Meaning of Warfare * DYING FOR ONE'S COUNTRY: The Logic of War and Genocide * THE LOGIC OF THE HOLOCAUST: Why the Nazi's Killed the Jews * THE SACRIFICIAL MEANING OF THE HOLOCAUST * AZTEC WARFARE, WESTERN WARFARE: The Soldier as Sacrificial Victim _____ Yet we do want to know that the soldier has died--for our cause. In war, the soldier dies for all of us. National glory derives from the willingness of the soldier to give his life. If soldiers did not accede to give their lives, there could be no national glory. Without national glory, there would be no history. The death of the soldier sustains the fantasy. Soldiers die so that we can read about leaders and wars in history books. The greater the number of deaths, the more significant the historical event. Wars are undertaken in order to remind us of our sacred ideals. Death in war testifies to the reality of the ideal. Wars occur in order to be remembered--so that leaders and nations can make history. People feel better when there is terrorism and war. War reassures us that life is meaningful. Triviality and frivolity are replaced by significance and solemnity. In order for history to continue, wars are created. As long as wars occur, there can be no "end of history." Narratives become grand again: The world has returned to normalcy. Once again, there seems to be a center. When there is a center, it is difficult to be "multi." The center is where death occurs and is located in the minds of those who cause death. The center is the sacred ideal that is the cause and justification for killing. If they can die for their ideals, we can die for ours. Without sacred ideals, there is only Michael Jackson. War is full of sound and fury, a tale told by an idiot. Unless you are in the path of a bomb or bullet--then it's really real. Death and body mutilation are the basis of war and source of history. Bombs create "earth shattering" events. We create history in order to forget that our frail bodies are in the process of disintegrating. _____ E-mail: libraryofsocialscience-AT-earthlink.net Phone: 718-393-1081 Web: http://home.earthlink.net/~libraryofsocialscience/ <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=bis8g6n6.0.0.85y8w8n6.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhome.ear thli nk.net%2F%7Elibraryofsocialscience%2F> --- StripMime Warning -- MIME attachments removed --- This message may have contained attachments which were removed. Sorry, we do not allow attachments on this list. --- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts --- multipart/alternative text/plain (text body -- kept) text/html --- ********************************************************************** Contributions: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Commands: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Requests: bourdieu-approval-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ********************************************************************** Contributions: bourdieu-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Commands: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu Requests: bourdieu-approval-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005