2nd Edition

National Trauma and Collective Memory Extraordinary Events in the American Experience

By Arthur G. Neal Copyright 2005
    254 Pages
    by Routledge

    254 Pages
    by Routledge

    A fascinating exploration of our evolving national psyche, this book chronicles major traumas in recent American history - from the Depression and Pearl Harbor, to the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Jr., to Ruby Ridge, Waco, and Columbine - how we responded to them as a nation, and what our responses mean. Reflecting on American popular culture as well as the media, this edition includes a new chapter on 9/11 and other acts of terror within the United States, as well as coverage of the Columbia space shuttle disaster. New student-friendly features, including discussion questions and "Symbolic Events" boxes in each chapter, give the book added value as a classroom supplement.

    Preface; Part I. Introduction; 1. Collective Sadness, Fear, and Anger; 2. Society as Moral Community; Part II. Case Studies of National Trauma; 3. The Great Depression; 4. The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor; 5. The Fear of Communism; 6. The Vietnam War; 7. Political Assassinations of the 1960s; 8. The Watergate Affair; 9. Technological Accidents; 10. Domestic Terrorism, USA; 11. The Terrorist Attack of September 11th; Part III. Epilogue; 12. Collective Memory; Index

    Biography

    Arthur G. Neal