The Sarcophagus of Identity . Tribalism, Nationalism, and the Transcendence of the Self

Inspired in part by his lawsuit against the US Secretary of Defense while serving as an active duty military officer, in this book James Skelly explores and critiques the dominant conceptual bases for self and identity. Arguing that our use of language in the construction of identities is unwitting, unreflective, and has engendered horrific consequences for tens of millions of human beings, Skelly shows that we need to overcome sectarian modes of thinking and engage in much deeper forms of solidarity with others. This book offers not only an academic reflection on the concept of identity but one that delves into the nature of the self and identity by drawing on Skelly's concrete experience of attempting to present a self-identity opposed to war in the face of the political, psychological, religious, and legal arguments put forth in a year-long battle by the United States government to prove that he did not qualify as a conscientious objector. One consequence is that Skelly argues that in order to create a new and more pacific human sensibility we must help ourselves and others to gain sovereignty over our social worlds and the definition of 'who we are'. This will necessitate a broad educational project that arms individuals with the tools necessary to insure that the definitions and categorizations to which we are subject in the construction of traditional notions of 'identity' can be resisted and ultimately transcended.

Autorentext

James Skelly is the founding director of the Centre on Critical Thinking, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies Köszeg, in Hungary. He served as Director of the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College in Pennsylvania, and has held teaching and research posts at the University of California, San Diego, the European Peace University in Austria, Universitat Jaume I in Spain, and the Universities of Limerick and Ulster in Ireland. He holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and an MA and PhD in Sociology from UC San Diego. As a young U.S. military officer, his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War led to his federal lawsuit, Skelly v. Laird. Following his honorable discharge, he worked with Jane Fonda, and other entertainers, as the advance man and political coordinator for the ""Free the Army"" show. Prior to returning to academia, he also worked as a bartender in San Francisco, a dock worker in Boston, and subsequently as a staff member in the United State Senate.

Klappentext

Given the increasing centrality of identity to contemporary politics, James Skelly's book provides a critical and useful analysis of the dominant and problematic conceptual bases for self and identity. Inspired in part by his lawsuit against the US Secretary of Defense while serving as an active duty military officer, Skelly argues that our use of language in the construction of identities is unwitting, unreflective, and has engendered horrific consequences for tens of millions of humans. In contrast, he demonstrates our need to overcome sectarian modes of thinking and to engage in much deeper forms of solidarity with others by foregrounding a species identity. This book offers not only an academic reflection on the concept of identity but one that delves into the nature of the self and identity by drawing on Skelly's concrete experience of attempting to present a self-identity opposed to war in the face of the political, psychological, religious, and legal arguments put forth in a year-long legal battle with the United States government. One consequence is that Skelly argues that to create a new and more pacific human sensibility we must help ourselves and others to gain sovereignty over our social worlds and the definition of 'who we are,' by arming individuals with the tools necessary to overcome the definitions and categorizations we are subjected to in the construction of traditional notions of 'identity.'