The Psychoanalysis of Racism,
Revolution and Nationalism
(Richard A. Koenigsberg) is available for purchase as a paperback or an e-book. |
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Nations are conceived as bodies. We project our own bodies into a national body. One's fragile, vulnerable self is blown up—to become a gigantic, omnipotent self.
Because territory is imagined in corporeal terms (Neocleous), the state seeks to secure it borders—its "orifices and entry points."
Sacrifices and entry points must be closed—to prevent penetration. Porous boundaries need to be firmed up, sealed off—walls built to protect the vulnerable self.
One's actual, fragile body fuses with the fantasy of a of a gigantic, invulnerable body. National bodies require borders to prevent penetration; anxiety played out on a monumental scale. Walls must be built—nothing allowed to penetrate. Each and every orifice must be sealed.
PS: And it's hard to resist wanting to be a part of this body. Nobody wants to be left out. It's a family affair. (Had NO CLUE before I clicked through to the song that there would be an image of the AMERICAN FLAG on the cover of the album). |
