Review of The Last War: Racism, Spirituality, and the Future of Civilization by M. L. Perry

Abstract

Last War: Racism, Spirituality, and Future of Civilization. By M. L. Perry. Oxford: George Ronald, 2005. xiv + 338 pages.In a scholarly era when books on race have become commonplace and not always insightful in breaking new ground, Mark Perry's book, Last War: Racism, Spirituality, and Future of challenges both scholars and laypersons to expand and deepen their understanding of relationship between spirituality, and civilization.Perry's approach to his subject is based upon what he explains as unique vision of relationship between religion and human society. He argues that Baha'u'llah's vision is of critical importance for understanding humanity's transition from its turbulent adolescence to maturity and particularly for resolution of (ix). It is here that he departs from most contemporary scholarship on racism and bravely enters domain of spirituality. His focus on slavery and racism in North American centers on role of Christianity in rise of Western civilization; he argues that true religion teaches love under the most trying circumstances. He is unapologetic in asserting fundamental importance of spirituality and religious life in studying race and racism.The book is divided into four sections that include countless strands of world history. first discusses racism and spirituality; second focuses on what Perry terms Despiritualization: Archeology of and introduces reader to a radically new approach to study of racism. Using archeology as a theoretical framework, Perry divides this section into eleven levels: Denial of Racism; Covert Racism, Present to 1960s; Overt Racism, 1960s to 1860s; Slavery, 1960s to 1500s; Justifications; Substitute Belief Systems; Violent Materialism in America; Waning of Christianity in Europe; Spiritual Unity of Europe; Paganism; and Feral Humanity.The much shorter third section, Respiritualization, deals with America's continuing spiritual potential, the respiritualization of social science, the insufficiency of material solutions, the respiritualization of daily life, and justice. and is followed by a segment called Beyond Affirmative Action, in which he includes a discussion on education described as A True Panacea and A Remedy Withheld.In fourth section, Civilization, Perry describes the maturation of human society and fusion of human race, and ends with a discussion of the birth of true humanity.The topics and subtopics in this book can be overwhelming as they intertwine with major historical narrative. They are held together, however, by Perry's major claim that discussions of spirituality are vital to solution of racial problems, that there is a need to revalidate spirituality in our discourse on race and its solution. The fact is that spirituality is real, its operation powerful, its neglect fraught with dire consequences. lack of brotherhood, absence of spirituality, make possible inhuman treatment of one by other. Racism and slavery are symptoms or consequences of ebbing of spirituality from social landscape (16).Perry makes bold claim that we must question secular methods of solving problems based on materialism, as it was materialism which created slavery and developed racism to justify and support practice. In chapter on despiritualization he writes:. . . American slavery was not distinguished by its ideology so much as by skin color and large number of its victims. We have been blinded by color and hence fetishized it; we have been deceived into thinking that color and Africanness are keys to understanding slavery and racism, whereas these are only incidental. . . . Race and skin color are nothing but red herrings. same attitudes and actions were practiced in Europe in two centuries bracketing establishment of North American colonies but there victims were neither dark-skinned nor African, but European women. …