Innocence and Loss Representations of War and National Identity in the United States

A fierce national outcry for righteously waging war has long dominated American culture. From at least the wildly popular Spanish-American War and the US military invasion of the Philippines that infuriated Mark Twain, right up to the current Global War on Terrorism, this is a deadly, dark current coursing throughout American history. Meanwhile, dissenting analyses of the â oepatriotic goreâ have until recently been paid scant attention in the popular media. Delving into this history, this probing collection of essays explores ways in which â oethe compulsive redeployment of innocenceâ in the launching, cheering, and retelling of Americaâ (TM)s wars â oeendlessly defers a national reckoning, â as the editors astutely state in their introduction. The works in this collection reflect an effort to add more voices where they are desperately needed.