The Body and Blood of the Dead Soldier Gives Rise to the Reality of the Nation

Richard A. Koenigsberg

In war, the body and blood of the sacrificed soldier gives rise to the reality of the nation.

The sound and fury of battle, actuality of dying & killing, substantiates the idea of the nation, anchoring belief in material reality, persuading us that countries are more than social constructions.

Surely (we imagine), human beings would not, could not, kill & die in such massive numbers unless they were doing so in name of something eminently real.

Sacrificial death confirms the reality of the Nation-State. Dying and killing bring into being the entity for which sacrifices are made.