War in American Memory

In recent years, historians have become increasingly interested in collective memory: its construction, its evolution, and the ways in which it has been used as an instrument of power. Collective memories of wars in particular work to inform ongoing debates about national identity. This course examines the ways that Americans have remembered their nation's wars. How were these collective memories constructed and in what ways were they contested? What do they reveal about social. political, and economic tensions? To what ends were these collective memories mobilized? How have they changed over time, and how do we as historians understand those changes? In this class we will explore traditional expressions of war memories such as monuments, memorials, and battlefields as well as cultural expressions of these memories in art, literature, and film.