Seeing Ghosts: 9/11 and the Visual Imagination

192 Pages·2009·2.919 MB·English

by  Karen Engle

Seeing Ghosts

Karen Engle
Seeing Ghosts
9/11 and the Visual Imagination
M c G I LL- Q U E E N ’S U N I V E R S I TY P R E S S
Montreal & Kingston (cid:127) London (cid:127) Ithaca
©McGill-Queen’sUniversityPress2009 LibraryandArchivesCanadaCataloguing
inPublication
ISBN978-0-7735-3450-4(cloth)
ISBN978-0-7735-3441-1(paper) Engle,Karen,1974–
Seeingghosts:9/11andthevisual
Legaldepositsecondquarter2009 imagination/KarenEngle.
BibliothèquenationaleduQuébec
Includesbibliographicalreferences
PrintedinCanadaonacid-freepaperthatis andindex.
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Thisbookhasbeenpublishedwiththehelp 1.WorldTradeCenter(NewYork,
ofagrantfromtheCanadianFederationfor N.Y.)–Pictorialworks.2.September11
theHumanititesandSocialSciences, TerroristAttacks,2001.3.September11
throughtheAidtoScholarlyPublications TerroristAttacks,2001–Pictorialworks.
Programme,usingfundsprovidedbythe 4.Terrorism–NewYork(State)–New
SocialSciencesandHumanitiesResearch York–Pictorialworks.5.Documentary
CouncilofCanada. photography–Politicalaspects.6.
Documentaryphotography–Socialaspects.
McGill-Queen’sUniversityPressacknowl- I.Title.
edgesthesupportoftheCanadaCouncilfor
theArtsforourpublishingprogram.Wealso HV6432.7.E5252009
acknowledgethefinancialsupportofthe 974.7'1044
GovernmentofCanadathroughtheBook C2008-907827-6
PublishingIndustryDevelopmentProgram
(BPIDP)forourpublishingactivities. Thisbookwasdesignedandtypesetby
studiooneononeinSabon10/13.5
Imageonpageii:ArtworkbyMarcCohen.
Photographbystudiooneonone
Contents
Acknowledgments / vii
Introduction:ThePerfectImageoftheLost / 3
One TumblingWoman / 9
Two FallingMan / 28
Three PostcardMemories / 51
Four TheFaceofaTerrorist / 78
Five MourningatWork,orMakingSenseof9/11 / 113
Notes / 141
References / 163
Index / 181
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Acknowledgments
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
gave me the space and the time to produce the dissertation out of
which this book was born. In the gap between the completion of
that early draft (2005) and today (fall 2008), many people have
contributed to the realization of this project. I offer thanks to my
grandmother, Evelyn Heal, whose generosity has enabled me to
include so many images in this text and whose own life has pro-
voked my curiosity about questions of memory and remembrance;
Nola and Don Engle, who quite simply just knew that I could do
this;mydearfriendBruceMcKinnon(1974–2007),whoselifeand
death have anchored my research beyond all measure; Derek
Sayer, who challenged me to do the thing properly or not at all (I
amgrateful);Yoke-SumWong,forhersuggestions,friendship,and
brilliant conversation over the years; Mebbie Bell, for her friend-
ship,thousandsofhoursoftelephonesupport,andsupremecopy-
editing skills (I am in your debt); Allen Shelton, who has helped
metorememberthesoundofmyownvoice;andPatrick,whohas
readeverywordfivetimesover.ThisbookisforPatrick.
I am grateful to everyone at McGill-Queen’s University Press
forguidingmethrougheverystageofthepublishingprocess.
I further acknowledge the journal Theory, Culture and Society
forallowingmetoreprintinchapter5arevisedversionofanessay
viii Acknowledgments
that first appeared as “Putting Mourning to Work: Making Sense
of9/11,”Theory,Culture&Society24,no.1(2007):61–88.Iwould
also like to acknowledge the permission of the journal Cultural
Studies–Critical Methodologies to reprint in chapter 4 a revised
version of an essay that first appeared as “The Face of a Terror-
ist,”CulturalStudies-CriticalMethodologies7(2007):397–424.
I have made every effort to identify, credit appropriately, and
obtain publication rights from copyright holders of illustrations in
thisbook.Noticeofanyerrorsoromissionsinthisregardwillbe
gratefullyreceivedandcorrectionmadeinanysubsequenteditions.
Seeing Ghosts
Thehistorythatshowedthings“astheyreallywere”wasthestrongest
narcoticofthecentury.WalterBenjamin
Feardrivesyoutoreducesomethingstrangetosomethingfamiliarso
younolongermarvelatit.Andthenthefamiliaritselfbecomesmore
difficulttoseeasstrange.Isthatwhatthetricktakes,Iwondered,
toabutthehere-and-nowwiththeback-thenandover-theresoyou
seeyourworldanew?MichaelTaussig