Preface

Abstract

This special issue of the Journal of American Studies of Turkey analyzes the enduring resonance and multifaceted aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. The article argues that the event, often reduced to a date in American discourse, defies straightforward comprehension due to its complexity and the chains of causality it evokes. Contributors explore how September 11 has been remembered, forgotten, fetishized, or trivialized in various cultural contexts. This study examines the particular sense of before and after that the event inaugurated, rather than attempting to grasp the event itself. The paper explores the ways in which individuals and societies have apprehended or articulated the aftermath of September 11. The author contends that the event's elusiveness makes it more productive to focus on its interpretations and representations. This work investigates how academic discourse has engaged with the event, particularly through a workshop on 'Rhetoric and/as Terrorism: Before and After September 11' held in Istanbul in 2003.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)