 | Dissent from the Homeland Subjects: War on Terrorism 2001-2009.; Terrorism; National security; National characteristics American.; Religion and politics; Dissenters; September 11 Terrorist Attacks 2001.; Three of these pieces (from Jean Baudrillard, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Slavoj Zizek) actually originate outside the homeland, but readers who find even the word "homeland" slightly Orwellian will find kindred spirits in this collection of essays by theologians, literary scholars and academics from other fields. In an angry introduction, Lentricchia, a professor of literature at Duke, lambastes America's "refus[al] to take any responsibility for September 11"; Hauerwas, a theologian at Duke, more temperately reminds readers that "Christianity is a tradition of peace." Some of the contributors are well known: Wendell Berry calls for self-criticism and self-correction by the West; Fredric Jameson accuses the media of hype in the wake of the attacks on New York and Washington. Peter Ochs relates the attacks to the Chorban, the destruction of the ancient Jewish temples. Readers impatient with what they may see as jingoism and vengefulness in the wake of September 11 will find their thoughts and feelings echoed in these thoughtful, hard-hitting essays. B&w photos. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved Stanley Hauerwas is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics and Professor of Law at Duke University. He is the author of many books, including The Hauerwas Reader, also published by Duke University Press. Frank Lentricchia is the Katherine Everett Gilbert Professor of Literature and Theater Studies at Duke University. Among his numerous books are the novel Lucchesi and The Whale and Close Reading: The Reader (coedited with Andrew DuBois), both also published by Duke University Press. |
