Kurzbeschreibung

In times of crisis, society turns to its heroes. But what functions do hero figures serve? How are representations of masculinity both symbols and participants within greater cultural struggles over dominance and marginalization? What can heroes tell us about ongoing economic, political, and social debates and transformations in contemporary USA? Regarding 9/11 as a catalytic rather than a cataclysmic event for US masculinities, this study invites its readers to take a second look at the cultural landscape of heroism in the new millennium. Through readings of contemporary US literature and film centered on the three most controversial heroic figures of our times – fathers, warriors, and vigilantes – this book challenges the thesis of an overall post-9/11 white masculinist backlash. Via the figure of the post-hero, we see shifts in the conceptualization of US individualism in the twenty-first century, displaying growing notions of communality, vulnerability, and class awareness.

Projektdetails

Projektart

Dissertation

Fachgruppe

Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaften

Fachliche Zuordnung

Literaturwissenschaft

Fachliche Zuordnung 2

Cultural Studies

Beginn

2010

Ende

2014

Einrichtung

Fachbereich/Zentralinstitut

John-F.-Kennedy-Institut für Nordamerikastudien

Fachgebiet/Arbeitsbereich

Graduate School of North American Studies

Projektteam

Leitung

Dr. Ahu Tanrisever

Schlagwörter

USA, Held, Heroismus, film, Geschichte 2001-2015, Militär, Männlichkeit

Publikationen

https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm;jsessionid=E441D6C94C9B81F4022178065D101D3D.prod-worker1?query=idn%3D1072183838&cqlMode=true&method=simpleSearch