Political Dimensions of 9/11 Narratives In Secondary School History Textbooks Worldwide.
Herman, Elizabeth Danielle.
2010
- This work examines emerging representations of September 11th, 2001 in secondary school history textbooks of a number of nations worldwide. I hypothesize that narratives of past events are shaped by current political agendas. Subsequently, I identify nine relevant variables measuring various political characteristics, and hypothesize how each variable influences a specific aspect of 9/11 narratives ... read morein history textbooks. By comparing and contrasting the narratives in American textbooks with those of nations considered strategically important to U.S. foreign policy, I aim to identify if these narratives converge or diverge, and whether they propagate what is accepted as 'truthful' or 'mythical' representations of event. In a thorough review of the literature on narrative construction in textbooks, I examine how textbook narratives reflect current political characteristics of nations, as well as how accounts are manipulated in order to influence national memory. The omission or inclusion of certain events, the emphasis on specific actions, and the words and tenses chosen to convey messages and themes are all important elements of understanding the broader messages that a nation attempts to convey, as well as the identity constructed, intentionally or not, from these hegemonic and official narratives.read less
- ID:
- 79408833v
- Component ID:
- tufts:UA005.007.041.00001
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