From Collective Memory to Significant Historical Event: Teaching 9/11 20 Years Later

• In Event: Intervening to Tackle Polarization in and Through Education: What Paradigms, What Merits?

Abstract

Objectives

20 years after the terrorist attacks on New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania, the collective memory of these events have been incorporated into the US historical narrative of a quest for freedom and progress (Foner, 1999). This project draws from data gathered as part of a mixed-methods study that explored how 9/11 and the Global War on Terror (WoT) are being taught nearly 20 years after the 2001 attacks (author, 2019). Here we focus on what can be done to change this narrative and the way that collective memory events such as 9/11 and the ensuing WoT are taught. We have used this research to inform the development of curriculum materials, pedagogical strategies and professional learning for teachers to shift from a focus of reliving the day as a form of memorialization to examining the event as a significant historical event.

Theoretical Framework

The shock felt by many on 9/11 make it a “flash bulb memory” that has shaped the collective memory of the day (Brown and Kuilk, 1977). This collective story is now integrated into US textbooks and curriculum standards, setting the official story of the events for generations to come (Apple, 2019, Corning & Schuman, 2015). These narratives function as a kind of template for making sense of events related to terrorism and the role of the US in the world (e.g., Wertsch, 2002), including the perpetuation of xenophobic stereotypes of Muslims as terrorists (author, 2021).

Methods

An email survey was sent to a random national sample of US secondary social studies teachers. 1047 teachers provided complete responses. 30 of these teachers participated in a follow up phone interview. This data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of qualitative data through counting using a constant comparative method.

Data

Survey responses report frequency and amount of teaching about topics related to 9/11 and the WoT, which topics are taught, how they are taught, and contextual challenges and affordances for teaching them.

Results

Survey responses indicate that the events of 9/11 and WoT are taught widely but primarily on the day of the anniversary as a form of memorialization and collective memory. Teachers also report a desire for materials and strategies for teaching about the experiences of veterans and including Afghan/Iraqi voices and to focus on the context of the attacks as well as the present state of the WoT.

Significance

The study results have informed the development of a program that includes primary source sets, pedagogical materials, and professional learning to address the needs identified: a focus on veterans’ stories and those of refugees; using more modern forms of primary sources such as news footage and podcasts as primary sources; and a greater focus on the historical context of 9/11, the role of intelligence, and how it integrates into US and World History. This project hopes to disrupt and challenge collective memory, which has fueled policies such as the proposed Muslim Travel Ban, while also recognizing the significance of 9/11 and those who have been impacted.

Author

• Jeremy D. Stoddard, University of Wisconsin - Madison