The Politics of Narrative in Post-9/11 Conceptions of Justice
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.
Recommended Citation
Stenovec, Michael, "The Politics of Narrative in Post-9/11 Conceptions of Justice" (04/24/15). Senior Symposium. 64.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/seniorsymp/2015/presentations/64
Major
Politics
Advisor(s)
Marc Blecher, Politics
Project Mentor(s)
Jade Schiff, Politics
April 2015
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.
Notes
Session 3, Panel 19 - By Any Other Name: The Complexities of Ascription
Moderator: Kristina Mani, Associate Professor of Politics