Mourning, Memorials, and Religion
A Psychoanalytic Perspective on the Park51 Controversy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3394066 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nathan Carlin (corresponding author), Heba Khan (Rice University) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 114-131 |
| Publication date | 2011-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel2020114 |
| OpenAlex | W1977430496 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 16 |
This article summarizes a version of the "mourning religion" thesis-derived from the work of Peter Homans and further developed and advanced by William Parsons, Diane Jonte-Pace, and Susan Henking-and then demonstrates how this thesis can shed light on the Park51 controversy. We argue that the Park51 controversy represents a case of incomplete cultural mourning of an aspect of American civil religion that manifests itself in melancholic rage by means of protests, threats to burn the Qur'an (as well as actual burnings of the Qur'an), and vandalism of mosques around the United States. We explore various losses-military, economic, and symbolic-and note that these losses remain ambiguous, therefore preventing closure and productive mourning. The fact that a permanent memorial still has not been built at Ground Zero reflects, and perhaps exacerbates, this incomplete cultural mourning. Also, the fact that Freedom Tower, the building to replace the Twin Towers, is to be 1776 feet tall reflects that the losses related to 9/11 are connected to American civil religion, as 1776 is a sacred year in American history. Setting aside the ethics and the politics related to this controversy, we attempt here to understand this controversy from a psychoanalytic perspective
Aside · Criminology · Political science · Politics · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · History · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices · Violence, Religion, and Philosophy
Oath Betrayed
The sacred canopy
Civil Religion in America
On “Mourning and Melancholia”
American and Chinese Power after the Financial Crisis
Mourning Religion? Celebrating Transformation! From Loss to Gain, from Depression to Melancholia
The Problem of Patriotism
In Search of a More Reliable Truth
The Psychological Benefits of Humor
Civil religion in America
Once Again, Psychoanalysis, East and West
The Ability to Mourn
Jung in Context
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |