REMEMBERING “9/11” AS A CRISIS OF EDUCATION COMMITTED TO MEMORY: REMEMBERING “9/11” AS A CRISIS OF EDUCATION By KAREN ESPIRITU, B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright by Karen Espiritu, December 2013 Ph.D. Thesis – K. Espiritu; McMaster University – English and Cultural Studies McMaster University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2013) Hamilton, Ontario (English & Cultural Studies) TITLE: Committed to Memory: Remembering “9/11” As a Crisis of Education AUTHOR: Karen Espiritu, B.A., M.A. (McMaster University) SUPERVISOR: Dr. Amber Dean NUMBER OF PAGES: ix, 246 ii Ph.D. Thesis – K. Espiritu; McMaster University – English and Cultural Studies ABSTRACT This study considers the pedagogical significance of mourning and remembrance in the context of the commemorative culture surrounding the “9/11” attacks on America, which have stimulated recent explorations of what it might mean to commit to ethical remembrances of the dead. Critical of “9/11” memorial discourses that provide justifications for heightened “homeland” security and military mobilization in the “War on Terror,” this project not only addresses the educative force of memorial-artistic responses in creating meaning out of mass deaths, but also dissociates the concept of the public memorial as foremost an apparatus of the state, private corporations, and other institutions which seek to use memorials towards amnesiac or ideological objectives. Analyses of the memorial responses addressed in this project unpack how particular modes of remembering “9/11” and its victims are themselves reflections upon the meanings and objectives of collective remembrance. The project first explores the “September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows” organization and how it negotiates the ways public sentiment is mobilized “in the name of” victims and their families. Through an analysis of Art Spiegelman’s In the Shadow of No Towers, I examine the capacity of graphic narrative to bear witness to traumatic events and speak to their legacies in non-hegemonic ways. Lastly, the project explores how Samira Makhmalbaf’s film God, Construction and Destruction calls for the re-evaluation of strategic memorial practices that risk reducing “9/11” remembrance pedagogies to universalizing modes of remembrance that further subjugate already marginalized communities. Stimulated by such memorial responses that interrogate conventional practices and assumptions of iii Ph.D. Thesis – K. Espiritu; McMaster University – English and Cultural Studies collective remembrance, the project argues that the public remembrance of “9/11” is a crisis of and for education: that is, an important occasion to seek and call for modes of remembrance and sites of pedagogies that foster an openness to the critical and transformative force of historical trauma. iv Ph.D. Thesis – K. Espiritu; McMaster University – English and Cultural Studies ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many wonderful people I would like to thank for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout this journey. Though these brief words seem to me too feeble a means of conveying my appreciation, I sincerely hope that those I acknowledge here can get a sense of how deeply grateful I am for them. First of all, I would like to express my appreciation for my supervisory committee, without whom this project would never have seen its completion. Profound thanks to Amber Dean for being such a phenomenal supervisor. Throughout the course of my writing and my agonized thinking through of rather difficult ideas, Amber was always willing and determined to support and challenge me every step of the way. I cannot stress enough how fortunate I am to have in Amber such an intelligent and gracious mentor. My confidence and my own voice in this project would not have developed this much, had it not been for her exceptional critical acumen, generosity, and sincere desire to see me succeed. Without Don Goellnicht’s confidence in my abilities, I would not have seriously considered resuming my doctoral studies. Also, beyond encouraging me to finish this project and wittily reminding me that such an undertaking was certainly still within the realm of possibility, Don’s highly insightful feedback on my work has compelled me to deliberate more carefully upon the ethical, logical, and practical consequences of my interpretations and critiques. I am truly thankful to Don for the numerous ways he has supported me over the past few years. I am extremely fortunate and grateful to have had Sarah Brophy’s vibrant and intellectually rigorous presence on my committee. Sarah was not only a thorough and highly engaged reader of my work, but also a very generous resource when it came to teasing out invigorating ideas that activated and energized my own thinking in pleasantly unforeseen ways. My profound thanks go to Sarah for her active involvement in this project. In recalling my thesis defense, I would also like to thank Mario DiPaolantonio, my external examiner, for the time he devoted to reading my dissertation, providing comprehensive feedback, asking challenging and important questions about my work, and trekking through post-snow storm traffic to attend my defense in person. As well, many thanks to Susie O’Brien for graciously agreeing to chair my defense on relatively short notice. Additionally, several members of McMaster’s Department of English and Cultural Studies, as well as individuals from other departments across campus have, over the years, gifted me with their support, assistance, and friendship. In particular, I wish to thank: Lorraine York, Grace Kehler, Mary O’Connor, Antoinette Somo, Ilona Forgo- Smith, Aurelia Gatto, Nanci Cole, Julie Birch, and Marsha Duncan. I am also truly thankful for my colleagues and friends, all of whom, in their own unique ways, provided me the strength, encouragement, and inspiration over the years to see this project to its successful completion. I specifically wish to thank Alishia Valeri, v Ph.D. Thesis – K. Espiritu; McMaster University – English and Cultural Studies Meghan Debicki, Sue Davidson, Scott Brooks, Sandi Inglis, the Lomotan family (Margaret, Marita, and Eli), Travis Duncan, Andrew Pendakis, and Phanuel Antwi. Finally, I have reached the part where I thank the most important individuals in my life, whose love, support, candor, trust, opinions, open-mindedness, long-sufferance, and humour I have come to rely on as touchstones that keep me grounded, honest, compassionate, and sensible. I wish now to express my utmost gratitude to my immediate family—Fernando, Medy, and Kristine Espiritu—for their unshakeable faith in me. Through times of despair—collective or otherwise—they have taught me what it means to be responsible to, as well as take responsibility for, one another. I cannot begin to thank them enough for the innumerable ways they have sustained me over the years. I can only hope that the successful completion of this project can convey to them how important it is to me that I make them proud. Thank you to Lucas Leies, my dearest partner in all things, whose life and heart are bound to mine. I consider myself incredibly lucky that he is willing to walk by my side. His love, patience, optimism, open arms, and readiness to listen, think, and grow wise and old with me are just some of the many things I cherish about him. I could not have challenged and pushed myself to this extent and emerged relatively unscathed without you, Luke. One of my greatest regrets is that my late grandmother, Elisa Revilla, is no longer with my family. She was supportive of my project and studies, and would have enjoyed celebrating this significant achievement in my life. I wish to express my thanks to her for always thinking of my well-being and safety, even as her own health dramatically declined before her passing. I am grateful for all the important lessons she taught me, and hope that on some level she knew that I was doing my best to pay close attention. Lastly, and on a lighter note, this list of thanks would not be complete without my acknowledging the canine companions who have enriched the life of my family. Jade and Odie are fondly remembered for their silly antics, intriguing quirks, and admirable loyalty. And of course, the ever-dashing, ever-clever, and ever-food motivated Marlowe I wish to thank for blissfully distracting me from the pressures that come with working on a project as involved and rigorous as this one. vi Ph.D. Thesis – K. Espiritu; McMaster University – English and Cultural Studies Table of Contents Page INTRODUCTION: “9/11”: A Crisis of Education……………………………………………………….. 1 CHAPTER ONE: “Not in Our Names”: The Politics of Mourning and the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows…..………........................................................................ 58 i) “Warmongering” and the Peaceful Tomorrows Organization: Not in Their Names……………………………………………………. 77 ii) September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Public Pedagogy, and the Rhetoric of Humanitarianism……………………….…. 88 iii) Difficult and Necessary Undertakings……………………………. 114 CHAPTER TWO: “Putting Grief into Boxes”: “9/11” Graphic Narratives and the Politics of Remembrance.………………………………………………………………. 118 i) Trauma, “I-Witnessing,” and the Crisis of Democracy in Art Spiegelman’s In the Shadow of No Towers.…………………. 124 ii) The Architecture of No Towers.…………………………………... 139 iii) Crises Out of Chaos.……………………………………………... 148 iv) The Work of Art In the Shadow of No Towers…………………… 160 vii Ph.D. Thesis – K. Espiritu; McMaster University – English and Cultural Studies CHAPTER THREE: “Do you know what a tower is?” The Crisis of “9/11” Remembrance Pedagogy in Samira Makhmalbaf’s God, Construction and Destruction.………………………………………………………… 163 i) “Learning From” versus “Learning About” the Traumatic Event of “9/11”.…………………………………….. 177 ii) Historicizing and Contextualizing Events of Mass Trauma……………………………………………… 185 iii) The Significance of Art in Education and Public Remembrance.……………………………………… 201 CONCLUSION: The Remembrance of “9/11” as Pedagogical Inheritance.……………...……… 208 WORKS CITED AND CONSULTED…………………………………………….