Taking the State out of the Body

Book excerpt: Taking the State out of the Body is a guidebook in deconstructing nationalism through trauma-informed praxis. Embedded in the political theory and practice of Jewish anti-Zionism, it invites readers of all backgrounds to build an embodied sense of safety that has the power to make militarized borders, policing, and nation-states obsolete. We need the resources offered in this book: from understanding geopolitical impacts of intergenerational trauma, to self-regulation in conflict, to transformative approaches to harm, to cultivating long-haul relationships, to building solidarity across our movements. The book’s framework is situated in the lineages of healing justice and politicized healers including many antifascist Ashkenazi Jewish practitioners in 1930s Europe. Today, as the terms “somatics” and “trauma” have been mainstreamed, Taking the State out of the Body is a timely offer to move from individual awareness to collective action. Weaving anti-imperialist orientations to historical events with embodiment theory, each chapter opens with a connection to a plant or body part and closes with a guide to practices that fuel resistance and resilience. This book will equip you with the tools you need to move from rugged individualist models of self-help/preservation to liberatory frameworks of collective care and joint struggle.