{"id":9458,"date":"2017-10-05T23:11:50","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T04:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/?p=9458"},"modified":"2021-06-10T09:35:39","modified_gmt":"2021-06-10T14:35:39","slug":"on-cultural-civil-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2017\/10\/05\/on-cultural-civil-conflict\/","title":{"rendered":"On cultural civil conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"

I think it’s fair to say that the United States is in a state of\u00a0cultural civil war<\/i>.<\/p>\n

It is cultural<\/i>\u00a0war in the sense that it is a war fought with signs and symbols rather than with guns — signs and symbols intended to elicit affiliation, allegiance, and identification with one or another party to the war.<\/p>\n

It is civil<\/i> war not only because it concerns a rift within the civic order of the society, but also in the sense of its relative civility, in contrast to the incivility of physical or military conflict. The relationship of this kind of cultural<\/em> civil conflict to real<\/i> civil conflict is similar to the relationship between “civil religion” — or the assumed quasi-religion of a civil society, the glue that holds it together — to “real” religion: it is conducted in the same ways, but without the overt manifestations that make it “war” (or “religion”).<\/p>\n

Cultural civil conflicts work on the affective and emotional registers much more than they work on the cognitive and rational registers. For that reason, appeals to facts, evidence, scientific truths, and other loaded claims masquerading as unloaded descriptions of reality, do not work very well at all. To the extent that any such claims support the emotional fabric of the conflict, to that extent they simply become part of the conflict. And to the extent that they become part of the conflict, the capacity of such claims (and others like them) to alter the conflict gets reduced.<\/p>\n

The good thing about being in a state of cultural civil war is that it is relatively civil, and certainly better than its non-cultural alternative.<\/p>\n

The bad thing is that, being cultural,<\/em>\u00a0it is very difficult to see one’s way out of it, or to think one’s way out of it. Those who are party to it are immersed in it; or, you might say, it is immersed in them. But that’s not really bad, since humans are inherently that way — inherently cultural,<\/em> bound up within matrices of affective resonance, emotional affiliation, complex codification, and semiotic overdetermination. It’s the way we are. Cultural wars are inherently hybrid<\/em> wars.<\/p>\n

(And among the casualties of such hybrid warfare are those who get completely lost, literally “evacuated,” sucked into the vortex of HTD, the\u00a0hate-technological amplification-distress machine<\/a>\u00a0that mass murderers like Stephen Paddock apparently get drawn into. Or so it seems to me.)<\/p>\n

The only problem with its being cultural,<\/em>\u00a0then, is that we are still learning exactly what that means. And we are learning it at the same time as the cultural institutions and configurations we rely on transmogrify under the pressure of global currents and tensions that are getting more powerful than ever. Our cultural civil war is only one little front in a much wider set of conflicts that are, and will, be fought globally, with cross-cutting fronts intersecting in myriad ways across multiple scales.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, they will remain\u00a0cultural<\/em> civil wars. And hopefully we will get through them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think it’s fair to say that the United States is in a state of\u00a0cultural civil war. It is cultural\u00a0war in the sense that it is a war fought with signs and symbols rather than with guns — signs and symbols intended to elicit affiliation, allegiance, and identification with one or another party to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[690660,691215],"tags":[4427,455094,455095,455087,455092,58950,455088,12564,455096,455093,455091,455090,402299],"class_list":["post-9458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cultural_politics","category-politics_postpolitics","tag-affect","tag-affective-contagion","tag-civil-religion","tag-civil-war","tag-cultural-civil-war","tag-cultural-values","tag-cultural-war","tag-culture","tag-mass-murder","tag-politics-of-affect","tag-red-states-blue-states","tag-trumpland","tag-united-states"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4IC4a-2sy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7193,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2014\/01\/20\/a-cultural-cold-war-wind\/","url_meta":{"origin":9458,"position":0},"title":"A cultural cold war wind","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"January 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I predicted back in 2010 that globalizing and technological trends would lead disparate religious traditions to find common ground on socially divisive issues like abortion and gay rights. Just as environmentalism, feminism, and indigenous rights were partnering various more liberal church groups with environmental and social justice organizations, contributing to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cultural politics"","block_context":{"text":"Cultural politics","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/cultural_politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"NjJiZDU3N2MyNSMvaGxXTUp4b0szWFJ4WVN1YWpVUUhZWllNc3pZPS84NDB4NTMwL3NtYXJ0L2ZpbHRlcnM6cXVhbGl0eSg3NSk6c3RyaXBfaWNjKDEpL2h0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZzMy5hbWF6b25hd3MuY29tJTJGcG1idWNrZXQlMkZzaXRlJTJGYXJ0aWNsZXMlMkY2MTY4OSUyRm9yaWdpbmFsLmpwZw== (1)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2014\/01\/NjJiZDU3N2MyNSMvaGxXTUp4b0szWFJ4WVN1YWpVUUhZWllNc3pZPS84NDB4NTMwL3NtYXJ0L2ZpbHRlcnM6cXVhbGl0eSg3NSk6c3RyaXBfaWNjKDEpL2h0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZzMy5hbWF6b25hd3MuY29tJTJGcG1idWNrZXQlMkZzaXRlJTJGYXJ0aWNsZXMlMkY2MTY4OSUyRm9yaWdpbmFsLmpwZw-1-e1390225539131.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13838,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2025\/01\/05\/theory-for-a-hybrid-war-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":9458,"position":1},"title":"Theory for a hybrid [war] world","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"January 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm working up a conference idea around the following set of thoughts, which are still very much in the process of being formulated. Comments welcome. The present conjuncture For those who study such things, social and cultural theory \u2014 sometimes simply called \u201cTheory\u201d with a capital T \u2014 has done\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cultural politics"","block_context":{"text":"Cultural politics","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/cultural_politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2025\/01\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2025\/01\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2025\/01\/image.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2025\/01\/image.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11484,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2021\/01\/12\/civil-crisis-media-the-future-of-hegemony\/","url_meta":{"origin":9458,"position":2},"title":"Civil crisis, media, & the future of hegemony","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"January 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"There's a fairly straightforward narrative about media and cultural hegemony in the United States that most scholarly observers have come to largely agree on (with the usual spectrum of variations in emphasis), but that more of the public ought to be aware of. It accounts for how we got here,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cultural politics"","block_context":{"text":"Cultural politics","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/cultural_politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2021\/01\/120605023718-cronkite-emotion-jfk-live-video.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2021\/01\/120605023718-cronkite-emotion-jfk-live-video.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2021\/01\/120605023718-cronkite-emotion-jfk-live-video.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1354,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2010\/10\/05\/green-pilgrimage-global-civil-religion\/","url_meta":{"origin":9458,"position":3},"title":"Green pilgrimage & global civil religion","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"October 5, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm getting ready to head to Spain, where I've been invited to give a talk on \"green pilgrimage\" at the Fourth Colloquium Compostela. Here's a brief overview of what I'll be speaking about. \u00a0 Green Pilgrimage: Prospects for Ecology and Peace-Building 1. Introduction: Pilgrimage, tourism, & travel in the 21st\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spirit matter"","block_context":{"text":"Spirit matter","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/religion-spirituality\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12409,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2022\/03\/11\/info-war-peace-theories-turning-to-ashes\/","url_meta":{"origin":9458,"position":4},"title":"Info war & peace, theories turning to ashes","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"March 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This is being cross-posted (in modified form) from UKR-TAZ, where it is part of a series examining the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The invasion of Ukraine continues to horrify, with casualties mounting and humanitarian corridors failing to materialize. But one of its more interesting dimensions, from the perspective of media\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Media ecology"","block_context":{"text":"Media ecology","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/media_ecology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/M-x-ujiB-oE\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13246,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2023\/06\/29\/russia-the-climate-crisis-ecocide\/","url_meta":{"origin":9458,"position":5},"title":"Russia, the climate crisis, & ecocide","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"June 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"My recent E-Flux article, \"Russia, Decolonization, and the Capitalism-Democracy Muddle,\" raised the question of Russia's potential \"decolonization\" -- what it means (and doesn't), and how the debate over it, and over decolonization in general, needs some political updating. The article seems no less relevant after the abortive mutiny led last\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate change"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/climate-politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2023\/06\/image-6.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2023\/06\/image-6.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2023\/06\/image-6.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2023\/06\/image-6.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2023\/06\/image-6.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2023\/06\/image-6.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9458"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9464,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9458\/revisions\/9464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}