Rummaging Through the Ashes: 9/11 American Poetry and the Transcultural Counterwitness
By drawing on current definitions of testimonial witnessing, this study returns to the attacks of September 11th to explore how two 9/11 poems, “First Writing Since (Poem on Crisis of Terror)” by Suheir Hammad and “Alabanza: In Praise of the Local 100” by Martin Espada, challenge the pervasive patri...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Association for American Studies
2020-06-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/16018 |
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| author | Matthew Moran |
| author_facet | Matthew Moran |
| author_sort | Matthew Moran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | By drawing on current definitions of testimonial witnessing, this study returns to the attacks of September 11th to explore how two 9/11 poems, “First Writing Since (Poem on Crisis of Terror)” by Suheir Hammad and “Alabanza: In Praise of the Local 100” by Martin Espada, challenge the pervasive patriotism of mainstream journalism through acts of transcultural counterwitnessing. I explore how these 9/11 poems oppose, and engage with, pervasive patriotism, and emphasize the value of transcultural poetry in the face of extreme violence. The notion of the transcultural counterwitness has the potential to redefine how third-party witnesses, like poets, provide new understandings of historical responsibility and national identity in the American imagination. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3cb8c954607743699f57ca2a3b3b117a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-3cb8c954607743699f57ca2a3b3b117a2025-01-06T09:09:06ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362020-06-0115210.4000/ejas.16018Rummaging Through the Ashes: 9/11 American Poetry and the Transcultural CounterwitnessMatthew MoranBy drawing on current definitions of testimonial witnessing, this study returns to the attacks of September 11th to explore how two 9/11 poems, “First Writing Since (Poem on Crisis of Terror)” by Suheir Hammad and “Alabanza: In Praise of the Local 100” by Martin Espada, challenge the pervasive patriotism of mainstream journalism through acts of transcultural counterwitnessing. I explore how these 9/11 poems oppose, and engage with, pervasive patriotism, and emphasize the value of transcultural poetry in the face of extreme violence. The notion of the transcultural counterwitness has the potential to redefine how third-party witnesses, like poets, provide new understandings of historical responsibility and national identity in the American imagination.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/160189/11 PoetryCounterpublicCounterwitnessMultidirectional MemoryTransculturalism |
| spellingShingle | Matthew Moran Rummaging Through the Ashes: 9/11 American Poetry and the Transcultural Counterwitness European Journal of American Studies 9/11 Poetry Counterpublic Counterwitness Multidirectional Memory Transculturalism |
| title | Rummaging Through the Ashes: 9/11 American Poetry and the Transcultural Counterwitness |
| title_full | Rummaging Through the Ashes: 9/11 American Poetry and the Transcultural Counterwitness |
| title_fullStr | Rummaging Through the Ashes: 9/11 American Poetry and the Transcultural Counterwitness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rummaging Through the Ashes: 9/11 American Poetry and the Transcultural Counterwitness |
| title_short | Rummaging Through the Ashes: 9/11 American Poetry and the Transcultural Counterwitness |
| title_sort | rummaging through the ashes 9 11 american poetry and the transcultural counterwitness |
| topic | 9/11 Poetry Counterpublic Counterwitness Multidirectional Memory Transculturalism |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/16018 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT matthewmoran rummagingthroughtheashes911americanpoetryandthetransculturalcounterwitness |