'We [for]got him': Remembering and forgetting in the narration of bin Laden's death

Jarvis, Lee ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4149-7135 and Holland, Jack (2014) 'We [for]got him': Remembering and forgetting in the narration of bin Laden's death. Millennium, 42 (2). pp. 425-447. ISSN 1477-9021

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Abstract

This article explores how the death of Osama bin Laden was narrated by the Obama administration between the night of his killing and the 2012 State of the Union address. Three aspects of this unfolding story, in particular, are explored: i) descriptions of the operation itself; ii) constructions of bin Laden’s life and character; iii) accounts of the significance and likely consequences of his killing. The article argues that the narration of these events was characterised, first, by considerable discursive continuity with the war on terrorism discourse of George W. Bush, and, second, by a gradual removal or ‘forgetting’ of bin Laden and the circumstances of his death. Each of these dynamics, we argue, contributed to the legitimisation of his killing, demonstrating the importance of narrative remembrance and forgetting alike for the conduct and justification of liberal violence.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	barack obama error,forgetting,memory,narrative,osama bin laden,war on terror,sdg 16 - peace, justice and strong institutions ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/peace_justice_and_strong_institutions
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Critical Global Politics Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Political, Social and International Studies
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	01 Apr 2014 13:46
Last Modified:	26 Jan 2024 01:57
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/48181
DOI:	10.1177/0305829813516527

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