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Spectacle, Trauma, Patriotism: Media and Media Studies in the Aftermath of 9/11

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9/11 and the Academy

Abstract

To say that Media Studies changed drastically on 9/11 is an understatement. Change came in three areas. First, the media provided the means by which most people experienced the event. Second, media offered a narrative that made 9/11 more personal by telling stories of the victims and those involved in the attacks. Third, media contributed to the strengthening of an American sense of patriotism, opening the way for and justifying the “war on terror.” This chapter argues that the field of Media Studies was turned on its head on September 11, 2001.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The statement was shared during a Q&A at the “9/11 and Academia” Conference held at Emory and Henry College in November 2015.

  2. 2.

    I anticipate leaving out some elements that other scholars might find fundamental in order to understand the many ways the field has changed as a consequence of 9/11. For this, I would like to apologize in advance.

  3. 3.

    Megan O’Toole provides a brief summary of the Toronto Hearings events in this blog: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-truthers-are-out-there-toronto-hearings-on-the-events-of-september-11.

  4. 4.

    Excerpts of this discussion have previously been published in Prosopopeya, 9 (2014–2015): 59–60.

  5. 5.

    Examples can be found in at least two interviews, one on Fox with Chris Wallace: http://video.foxnews.com/v/1007046245001/exclusive-jon-stewart-on-fox-news-sunday/#sp=show-clips and one on MSNBC with Rachel Maddow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWrkGu4XpZQ.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. California State University, Chico, Chico, CA, USA

    Chiara Ferrari

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  1. Chiara Ferrari
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Correspondence to Chiara Ferrari .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Mass Communications Department, Emory and Henry College, Emory, VA, USA

    Mark Finney

  2. History Department, Emory and Henry College, Emory, VA, USA

    Matthew Shannon

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Ferrari, C. (2019). Spectacle, Trauma, Patriotism: Media and Media Studies in the Aftermath of 9/11. In: Finney, M., Shannon, M. (eds) 9/11 and the Academy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16419-5_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16419-5_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-16418-8

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