During war, space for debate shrinks. Narrow ideas of patriotism and democracy marginalize and silence opposition to militarism abroad and repression at home. Although powerful, these ideas encounter widespread resistance. Analyzing the official statements of 15 organizations from 1990-2005, the authors show that the U.S. peace movement strongly contested taken-for-granted assumptions regarding nationalism, religion, security, and global justice. Contesting Patriotism engages cutting-edge theories in social movements research to understand the ways that activists promote peace through their words. Concepts of culture, power, strategy, and identity are used to explain how movement organizations and activists contribute to social change. The diversity of organizations and conflicts studied make this book a unique and important contribution to peace building and to social movements scholarship.

Chapter 1 Section One: Peace Discourses in a War Culture Chapter 2 Chapter 1: Creating Oppositional Knowledge and Promoting an Active Democracy Chapter 3 Chapter 2: To Harness or to Challenge Hegemony? Peace Movements at a Cultural Crossroads Chapter 4 Chapter 3: Reconstructing Patriotism Chapter 5 Section Two: Contesting Emotions and Identities in War and Peace Chapter 6 Chapter 4: Capturing Hearts and Minds: Emotions and Peace Appeals Chapter 7 Chapter 5: Gods of War, Gods of Peace Chapter 8 Chapter 6: Mobilizing the Margins: Race, Class, Gender and Religion Chapter 9 Section Three: The Changing Present and an Uncertain Future Chapter 10 Chapter 7: Real Solutions for a Safer World Chapter 11 Chapter 8: Going Global?: Discourses Beyond the Nation-State Chapter 12 Chapter 9: Peace Movement Discourse: Unraveling Hegemony, Spinning New Threads