The Feeling of Forgetting: Christianity, Race, and Violence in America

The Feeling of Forgetting explores how religious practices of forgetting drive white Christian nationalism, highlighting the trauma experienced by white Americans as perpetrators of violence against people of color. By tracing memory's role in American Christianity, Corrigan shows how contemporary white Christian nationalism is motivated by a widespread effort to forget the role race plays in American society.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 06 July 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

The dual traumas of colonialism and slavery continue to impact Native Americans and African Americans, who face ongoing violence and discrimination against people of color in present-day America. In his book, The Feeling of Forgetting, John Corrigan sheds light on the trauma experienced by white Americans as perpetrators of this violence. Corrigan explores the role of memory in American Christianity and demonstrates how contemporary white Christian nationalism is driven by a widespread desire to forget the significant role race plays in American society. He argues that white trauma permeates American culture like an underground river, sometimes erupting into acts of brutality, terrorism, and insurrection. Recognizing the origins of this trauma is crucial for healing and addressing the ongoing issues of racial inequality and injustice in the United States.

The dual traumas of colonialism and slavery continue to impact Native Americans and African Americans, who face ongoing violence and discrimination against people of color in present-day America. In his book, The Feeling of Forgetting, John Corrigan sheds light on the trauma experienced by white Americans as perpetrators of this violence. Corrigan explores the role of memory in American Christianity and demonstrates how contemporary white Christian nationalism is driven by a widespread desire to forget the significant role race plays in American society. He argues that white trauma permeates American culture like an underground river, sometimes erupting into acts of brutality, terrorism, and insurrection. Recognizing the origins of this trauma is crucial for healing and addressing the ongoing issues of racial inequality and injustice in the United States.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226827650