FLAG DESECRATION IN AMERICAN CULTURE - OFFENSES AGAINST CIVIL RELIGION AND A CONSECRATED SYMBOL OF NATIONALISM

Adoration for the United States flag is emblematic of American nationa lism and patriotism. Moreover, in extreme forms, its rigid orthodoxy a lso reflects civil religion - a nonsectarian faith in which secular ob jects are transformed into sacred icons. Ostensibly, elements of civil religion imbue reverence for the flag, and although the recent flag p rotection campaign has caught the attention of intellectuals from vari ous academic disciplines, sociologists are conspicuously absent from s uch discourse. In light of its relevance to civil religion, the dearth of sociological analysis on flag desecration is especially disconcert ing. This article offers several theoretical explanations for the soci al construction of flag desecration and its sociological significance to civil religion.