The Politics of Narrative in Post-9/11 Conceptions of Justice

Presenter Information

Michael Stenovec, Oberlin College

Location

Science Center, K209

Document Type

Presentation

Start Date

4-24-2015 4:00 PM

End Date

4-24-2015 5:30 PM

Abstract

How do we create meaning around traumatic events that rupture our descriptive abilities? Through the case of Jose Padilla, an American citizen detained as an enemy combatant in 2002, I explore the relationship between narratives of 9/11 and the construction of individual- and structural-based conceptions of justice. I use the work of Wittgenstein and Lyotard to locate the meanings of these conceptions within a broader context of linguistic contingency, but note that this approach does not explain how we make suffering meaningful. To compensate for this gap, I engage with the potential for 9/11 memorials to generate human meaning around catastrophe.

Notes

Session 3, Panel 19 - By Any Other Name: The Complexities of Ascription
Moderator: Kristina Mani, Associate Professor of Politics

Major

Politics

Advisor(s)

Marc Blecher, Politics

Project Mentor(s)

Jade Schiff, Politics

April 2015

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Apr 24th, 4:00 PM Apr 24th, 5:30 PM

The Politics of Narrative in Post-9/11 Conceptions of Justice

Science Center, K209

How do we create meaning around traumatic events that rupture our descriptive abilities? Through the case of Jose Padilla, an American citizen detained as an enemy combatant in 2002, I explore the relationship between narratives of 9/11 and the construction of individual- and structural-based conceptions of justice. I use the work of Wittgenstein and Lyotard to locate the meanings of these conceptions within a broader context of linguistic contingency, but note that this approach does not explain how we make suffering meaningful. To compensate for this gap, I engage with the potential for 9/11 memorials to generate human meaning around catastrophe.