Beyond the Flag

"Beyond the Flag, Iconographies of Patriotism 1972-1982 is a book of photographs & text by journalist and photographer Beatriz Schiller. 136 pages, alternating - 46 quotes excerpted from exclusive interviews and 8 taken from historical sources, with -74 B &W photographs of symbols of patriotism such as flags, eagles, uncle Sam(s), Statues of Liberty, on buildings, monuments, at events, and worn by people. -Interviews were conducted by the author with Americans, from 9 to 90 years old, across the country. People's feelings, behavior, denials or approvals about patriotism are more diversified than the prominence of the symbols of patriotism would suggest. Some see it as religion of country, others as celebration of America, others see manipulation, or some see patriotism as their identity. People examine their responsibilities towards country and the country's responsibility towards them. The book opens with -Exclusive interview with linguist, philosopher, MIT and University of Arizona professor, Noam Chomsky; followed by -7 chapters of photos and thoughts: Education, Love of Country, Participation, The Symbol, the Theater of Patriotism and Militarism. -Quotes from an exclusive interview with the father of public relations, author Edward Bernays. -Quotes from exclusive interviews with composer, John Cage; visual artist, Jimmie Durham; Museum of Modern Art curator, Carolyn Lanchner; Author Annette Rubinstein; elementary school student Rabiah ; farmers, businessmen, veterans; the Annin and Valley Forge flag factories' representatives and workers. -Historical quotes from Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexis de Tocqueville, Mark Twain, Henry Cabot Lodge, William Tyler Page, Adlai Stevenson, Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan. This portfolio of photos, exhibited in November 1982 at The Cathedral Church of St John the Divine, traveled in the USA and abroad. Linda S. Sullivan, photography coordinator of the Museum of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, wrote of the Beyond the Flag project: "America and the Flag, presented a fresh and insightful perspective to the collective consciousness, and unconsciousness, of patriotism in this country." Beatriz has two nationalities- American and Brazilian. She has lived longer in the United States, 49 years, than in her native Brazil . Both countries formed who she is"--