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" After the Ruins: "
Morikawa, Tomoaki
Kosasa, Karen
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1107069
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| Doc. No
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TLpq2428569263
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| Main Entry
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Kosasa, Karen
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Morikawa, Tomoaki
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| Title & Author
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After the Ruins:\ Morikawa, TomoakiKosasa, Karen
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| College
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University of Hawai'i at Manoa
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| Date
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2020
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| student score
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2020
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Page No
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214
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| Abstract
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While once a place that defined Lower Manhattan as the mecca of international business, the World Trade Center was destroyed and turned into a site of national trauma called “Ground Zero” by the events of 9/11. Right after the terrorist attacks, efforts to recover and reconstruct the site were quickly taken, and now, a memorial complex stands there. Naming it the Ground Zero memorial complex, this dissertation attempts to understand the significance of this place within the American landscape and American history. For this purpose, I closely trace the reconstruction process of the WTC site and examine the rebuilt memorial complex mainly consisting of the primary tower One World Trade Center, the memorial Reflecting Absence, and the National September 11 Museum. At the same time, I make a methodological decision to move beyond Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan in time and space. Guided by the notion that the site is the focal point of the flow of violence that is foundational to the U.S., this dissertation shifts the sites of investigation from Lower Manhattan to Vietnam, the U.S.-Mexico border, Hawai‘i, and Hiroshima. By situating the Ground Zero memorial complex within much larger contexts, I reveal that the WTC site was reconstructed into a place that sanctioned violence as a result of the American violence perpetrated globally following the 9/11 events. The Ground Zero memorial complex is thus a battleground where people may not physically lose their lives, but are encouraged to sanction the logic of the Global War on Terror as well as other ideological and physical wars waged on behalf of the U.S. To some visitors, the site may appear apolitical and neutral. It may appear to be dedicated to consoling and healing a wounded nation. However, the Ground Zero memorial complex is much more complex than it seems.
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| Subject
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American history
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American studies
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