ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book examines the value of the concept of 'civil religion'. It discusses the national rituals and traditions of remembrance of those killed in war that are characteristic of the modern and contemporary United States of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK). The book also discusses the local traditions, culture and rituals of the Italian city of Siena. It shows how, in both the USA and UK, a variety of rituals, ceremonies and traditions of remembrance and commemoration have functioned as a means of transcending divisions and unifying what might otherwise be deeply divided national communities. The book suggests that civil religion - whether national or local - shares with other, more familiar forms of religion a capacity to maintain distinct traditions, while engaging with modernity, and accommodating, and even at times initiating, change.
