Dissent from the Homeland : Essays after September 11

Dissent from the Homeland begins a new evaluation of how Americans think about September 11, 2001. In this special issue well-known writers and scholars from across the humanities and social sciences take a critical look at U.S. domestic and foreign policies-past and present-as well the recent surge of patriotism. These dissenting voices provide a thought-provoking alternative to the apparently overwhelming public approval of the U.S. military response to the September 11 attacks, both at home and abroad. Addressing such questions as why the Middle East harbors a deep-seated hatred for the U.S., the contributors refuse to settle for the easy answers preferred by the mass media. "Thoughts in the Presence of Fear" urges Americans away from the pitfall of national self-righteousness toward an active peaceableness-an alert, informed, practiced state of being-deeply contrary to both passivity and war. Another essay argues that the U.S. drive to win the Cold War made the nation more like its enemies, leading the government to support ruthless anti-Communist tyrants such as Mobutu, Suharto, and Pinochet. "Groundzeroland" offers a sharp commentary on the power of American consumer culture to absorb the devastation and loss of life by transforming the attack sites into patriotic tourist attractions. James Nachtwey's photo essay provides a visual document of the devastation of the attacks. Contributors. Michael Baxter, Jean Baudrillard, Robert Bellah, Daniel Berrington, Wendell Berry, Vincent Cornell, Stanley Hauerwas, Fredric Jameson, Frank Lentricchia, Catherine Lutz, Jody McAuliffe, John Milbank, James Nachtwey, Peter Ochs, Rowan Williams, Susan Willis, Slavoj Zizek

Jean Baudrillard is professor emeritus at the University of Paris Michael J. Baxter, a Catholic priest and member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, is assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame Robert N. Bellah is Elliott Professor of Sociology Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley Daniel Berrigan is a Catholic priest, social activist, and poet who has written more than fifty books Wendell Berry is a conservationist, farmer, essayist, novelist, and poet. He has worked a farm in Henry County, Kentucky, since 1965 Vincent J. Cornell is the director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies at the University of Arkansas Stanley M. Hauerwas is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School Fredric R. Jameson is William A. Lane Jr. Professor of Comparative Literature, professor of Romance studies (French), and chair of the Literature Program at Duke University Frank Lentricchia is Katherine Everett Gilbert Professor of Literature at Duke University Catherine Lutz is professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an activist Jody Mcauliffe is associate professor of the Practice of Theater Studies and Slavic Languages and Literatures at Duke University John Milbank is Frances Myers Ball Professor of Philosophical Theology at the University of Virginia James Nachtwey has been a contract photographer with Time magazine since 1984 Peter Ochs is Edgar Bronfman Professor of Modern Judaic Studies at the University of Virginia Anne R. Slifkin is a civil litigation lawyer, mediator, and arbiter practicing in Raleigh, North Carolina Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has written a number of books on the history of theology and spirituality and published collections of articles and sermons, as well as a book of poems in 1994 Susan Willis is associate professor in the Literature Program and English at Duke University Slavoj Zizek is professor at the Institute of Sociology, University of Ljubljana