Portents of the Real: A Primer for Post-9/11 America
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Book Description
The renowned cultural theorist reveals the deeper meanings of popular cultural phenomena in post 9/11 life in America.
The intellectual atmosphere in America following the event known as 9/11 was such that opinion deviating from the officially sanctioned narrative of good vs. evil was actively discouraged, the majority of the media toeing President Bush's war-mongering line. Thus it was left largely to European philosophers such as Jean Baudrillard, Paul Virilio, and Slavoj Zizek to think through the international consequences of this era-defining moment. However, behind the official smoke screen, certain American intellectuals maintained a critical distance from the propaganda and sought to understand the forces at work within US society.
In this perceptive work, Susan Willis examines a series of phenomena peculiar to post-9/11 America, including the Washington DC snipers, the Stars 'n' Stripes fever, and the anthrax hoaxes, arguing that even minor or seemingly aberrant cultural manifestations bear interpretation and reveal meaning which is inherently inimical to officially promulgated versions of the current climate of fear. As a "primer," this is an ambitious project that seeks to lay the ground for a renaissance of critical thought in America.
About the Author
Susan Willis's previous works include A Primer for Daily Life, Signifying, and Inside the Mouse. She is Associate Professor of Literature at Duke University.
Portents of the Real: A Primer for Post-9/11 America,Susan Willis,Verso,1844670236,Anthropology - General,Archaeology / Anthropology,Culture,Popular Culture - General,Popular culture,September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001,Social Science,Social aspects,Sociology,Sociology - General,United States,United States - 21st Century,21st century,Cultural studies,USA
Portents of the Real: A Primer for Post-9/11 America
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