Memories of War and Peace-Making Analysis of American Nonfiction on Conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan

• In Event: Exploring Peacemaking, Discomfort, and Critical Pedagogies to Achieve Peace and Racial Justice

Abstract

This year the United States marks the twentieth anniversary of the 2003 American invasion of Iraq and two years since American forces withdrew from conflict engagements in Afghanistan. Widely known as the forever wars, these American military actions have contributed to a tacit acceptance by American citizens and culture of constant militarism distinguished by its imperceptibility. This paper focus on concepts of memory, truth, and reconciliation in four nonfiction works: The Forever War (Filkins, 2008), The Good Soldiers (Finkel, 2009), Places and Names (Ackerman, 2019), and Uncertain Ground (Klay, 2022). This research addresses the need for literary criticism of war literature and a discussion of pedagogy towards peace-making in English and humanities education.

Author

• Julianna E. Lopez Kershen, University of Oklahoma