Space, pride, and identity

Abstract

Many have claimed that there is a relationship between space and group identity. Walter McDougall in his classic tome The Heavens and The Earth: A Political History of the Space Age and James Oberg in Space Power Theory,¹ draw an analogy between Frederick Jackson Turner’s 1893 thesis on the importance of the frontier to American identity and the role that space now plays as a new frontier upon which American identity may be continuously forged. Oberg also asserts that nations use space activities for inspiration and affirmation of national consciousness, expressions of national character, binding together, internal order, and as a potent symbol with a futuristic aura. McDougall goes so far as to say that space programmes “define mankind in the first place”.² In Pale Blue Dot, the popular astronomer, Carl Sagan, surmised that space has the capacity to unify all mankind.³ More recently, the 2007 European Space Policy states that space “can contribute to European cohesion and identity”⁴ and the 2006 Chinese White Paper “China’s Space Activities in 2006” refers to China’s space programme as “a cohesive force for the unity of the Chinese people”.⁵ Clearly, space policy experts and scholars assume that a casual relationship exists between space programmes and group identity. Nevertheless scholarly justification for such assertions is sparse.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.