![]() In 2006, Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow decried an ‘unpleasant breed of poppy fascism’ putting pressure on him to wear a red poppy on air (Snow 2006). Nevertheless, behind the chorus of dominant public opinion can be heard voices expressing concerns. Questioning the symbol or its hegemonic meaning is sure to stir controversy. Every year, there is pressure to wear it as a symbol of remembrance and respect for members of the armed forces who fought and sacrificed their lives for British freedom and security. ![]() It now colours memorials, vehicles and clothes in the run-up to Remembrance Day across Britain. 1 The poppy’s stature in British civic rituals also evolved with its context – through the interwar years, the Second World War (WWII), the Cold War with its proxy wars, Pax Americana, and the post-9/11 wars – but, a century on, the red poppy has become increasingly ubiquitous, commercialized, and hegemonic. The red poppy emerged after the First World War (WWI) as a symbol that would soon become the dominant emblem of British war commemoration, even if the precise meaning of that poppy and indeed the proper way to remember the war were contested from the start. The final section reflects on the resulting unease that can be triggered by the poppy’s hegemonizing function in British civil religion and calls for poppy commemorations to better accommodate deeper reflections on the causes of war, militarism, and the potentially complicit role played by war commemorations. A second-order critique exposes the broader political and ethical consequences including for the military-industrial-entertainment complex, for liberal institutionalist projects, and for veterans. A first-order critique then reflects on the hegemonic poppy narrative’s internal dissonances, on the selective memory which it reveals, and on the blinkered horizon of compassion and identification which it promotes. It starts by sketching out a history of the poppy’s contested meaning. Building on literature on the poppy and war commemorations, on pacifist approaches to security studies and on militarism, this article sketches a pacifist critique of the poppy’s increasingly hegemonic militarism. Mary Cassatt, Red poppies, 1874-1880, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, USA.The red or ‘Flanders’ poppy has become the ubiquitous emblem of British war commemorations, yet it is also becoming more hegemonic and militaristic: the poppy’s meaning has always been contested, but its dominant interpretation has become increasingly intolerant. First conceived by the Co-operative Women’s Guild in 1933, white poppies, with the added meaning of hope for the end of all wars, were frequently worn by the widows and children of dead soldiers. Pacifists and faith organizations advocated for the use of white poppy instead, which would stand for casualties of all wars. WikiArt.Ī controversy arose around the red poppy which, according to some, has become a symbol for British isolationism since the red poppy remembered only soldiers of the British Commonwealth. A White Poppy Alternative Claude Monet, White Poppy, 1883, private collection. Vincent van Gogh, Field with Poppies, 1890, Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Netherlands. In the UK, poppies were worn for the first time in 1921 during the official anniversary services. The custom of wearing a red poppy originated in the United States when a university professor from the University of Georgia, Moina Micheal, swore to wear a red poppy after she had read a poem by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae called “ In Flanders Fields”. A Poppy Poem Vincent van Gogh, Red Poppies and Daisies, 1890, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, USA. Although red poppies had grown there before the war, the blooming flowers quickly became a new, peaceful symbol for all the blood spilled in the war. The summer after the hostilities ended, many fields in Flanders, which in World War I had become sites of the war’s most atrocious battles, turned bright red. 1832, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. We’re joining in the observance of this day by presenting you with the most beautiful paintings of poppies: Why Poppies? John Constable, Study of poppies, ca. In the UK it is known as Poppy Day and for the entire month of November, many people wear a simple poppy pinned to the lapels of their coats as a sign of remembrance and respect for veterans. It was inaugurated by King George V in 1919 on 11th November, the first anniversary of the date of signing the 1918 armistice. Remembrance Day is a memorial remembering all the soldiers who died in the First World War.
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