• Material aspects of the War on
Terror are linked to the meaning(s) we assigned to 9/11
– How was meaning ascribed to events
of 9/11?
– Why some meanings and not others?
– Continued search for meaning in the ongoing
WOT?
– What is involved in the
construction of meaning?
Language
• Material importance of language
– Back to the role of mass media
– “The mass media are key elements
of our symbolic environment… they help to construct meaning” (Althiede) – Fear
must always be interpreted
Fear and Interpretation
• What sorts of things will affect
our interpretations and reactions to stimuli? How do we decide what to fear and
why? – Pre-existing beliefs – Ideology – Historical context – Social context –
Leadership
– Pre-existing beliefs
– Ideology
– Historical context
– Social context
– Leadership
Regimes of Truth?
• Regimes of truth about the WOT:
– “..materially grounded, self perpetuating
assumptions in which the accepted truths about terrorism and its war appear
external and self-evident” (Jackson 2011).
• Require “conditions of
possibility” to gain purchase (aka “felicity conditions”)
Ideas and Practice
• The meaning of 9/11 and the WOT
were expressed and constructed by
1. …a set of rhetorical and
ideational elements, and
2. …an array of material practices
• The 2 mutually reinforce and
construct one another
The Meaning(s) of 9/11
• So what did 9/11 mean? What were
the ideational and rhetorical devices used to assign meaning to the terrorist
attacks by al Qaeda?
– Public language used by leaders
and media
– “Act of war”
– “Evil-doers”
– WMDs
Material Practices of the War on
Terror
• What were the material practices
and actions that then went on to construct the WOT?
– Military actions in Afgh, Iraq,
Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Philippines etc.
– Increased military spending
– Intelligence gathering and
surveillance
– Diplomacy and COIN
– DHS and the PATRIOT Act
– Torture and Rendition Terrorism
after 9/11- Material Practices of the War on Terror • Central narratives (aka
Regimes of Truth) of the WOT
– 9/11 was an “act of war”
– Terrorism is the most serious
security threat today
– Religious (Muslim) terrorism is
more lethal/less rational
– WOT is
necessary/legitimate/defensive/just
– Exceptional security practices are
legitimate
– Pre-emptive attacks are justified
Terrorism after 9/11
Central Narratives of the War on
Terror
• Central narratives (aka Regimes of
Truth) of the WOT
– 9/11 was an “act of war”
– Terrorism is the most serious
security threat today
– Religious (Muslim) terrorism is
more lethal/less rational
– WOT is
necessary/legitimate/defensive/just
– Exceptional security practices are
legitimate
– Pre-emptive attacks are justified
The post Terrorism after 9/11- The Meaning(s) of 9/11?
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