This lecture describes ways to decode 9/11. It reviews ways in which 9/11 and its aftermath have been mediated and remembered and offers an overview of types of 9/11 texts. Problematic aspects of naming 9/11, Ground Zero, and the 'Global War on Terror' are described as are alternative analyses of the legacy of 9/11. Some ethical issues involved in analyzing photographs from Abu Ghraib are enumerated, and methods for reading a 9/11 memorial video are discussed. The lecture argues that a politically informed mode of critical cultural and media studies is necessary to approaching 9/11 texts.
Greta Olson - Professor of English and American Literature and Cultural Studies - University of Giessen
BA Vassar College / University College London (Philosophy / Studio Art)
MA, PhD, and Habilitation University of Freiburg (English / American Studies / Philosophy)
