This term paper focuses on the topic of 9/11 memorials outside the USA and discusses the reasons behind them, their function and the reactions of others.
First, an introduction to the subject of memorials and the need for public grieving will be given to provide a theoretical foundation. Here, it will be stated why memorials became such an important part of our culture and what motivates people to plan and build these monuments. Subsequently, the attention will be drawn to three concrete memorials outside the USA. Their individual previous history will be explained to find out which circumstances led to their building. Finally, it will be discussed which functions memorials outside the US have and why there can also be found a lot of negative response on the part of the general public.
One way of dignifying the dead is building memorials. Memorials are an important part of human culture. Not only do they inherit the possibility to express strong emotions like pride, elation, or sorrow, they also serve the purpose of reminding future generations of very glorious or traumatic events of world history.
One of the most dramatic incidents of the 21st century surely is the terrorist attack of 9/11 when terrorists were to blame for the lives of almost 3000 human beings. After the first shock had been overcome and after temporary memorials had disappeared from the public places, people thought about creating permanent sites of grieving; a wave of 9/11 memorials spilled over the landscape of the USA. What many people do not know: not only did the Americans project memorials in memory of the terrorist attacks, but also (mostly European) foreign countries planned on building 9/11 memorials.
Table of Content
1. Introduction
2. Memorializing the Past: The Need for Public Expressions of Grief
3. Permanent Memorials outside the US
3.1 Israel: 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza near Jerusalem
3.2 Italy: Memoria e Luce in Padua
3.3 Germany: 9/11 WTC Memorial in Oberviechtach
4. Reasons and Functions of Memorials outside the US
5. Reactions on 9/11 memorials Outside the US
6. Conclusion
Bibliography
1. Introduction
“It is conventional to dignify the dead, to disguise any sense that death may be without meaning or purpose” (Simpson 49). One way of dignifying the dead is building memorials. Memorials are an important part of human culture. Not only do they inherit the possibility to express strong emotions like pride, elation, or sorrow, but they also serve the purpose of reminding future generations of very glorious or traumatic events of world history.
One of the most dramatic incidents of the 21st century surely is the terrorist attack of 9/11 when terrorists were to blame for the lives of almost 3000 human beings. After the first shock had been overcome and after temporary memorials1 had disappeared from the public places, people thought about creating permanent sites of grieving; a wave of 9/11 memorials spilled over the landscape of the USA. What many people do not know: not only did the Americans project memorials in memory of the terrorist attacks but also (mostly European) foreign countries planned on building 9/11 memorials.
This term paper focuses on the topic of 9/11 memorials outside the USA. First, an introduction to the subject of memorials and the need for public grieving will be given to provide a theoretical foundation. Here, it will be stated why memorials became such an important part of our culture and what motivates people to plan and build these monuments. Subsequently, the attention will be drawn to three concrete memorials outside the USA. Their individual previous history will be explained to find out which circumstances led to their building. Finally, it will be discussed which functions memorials outside the US have and why there can also be found a lot of negative response on the part of the general public.
2. Memorializing the Past: The Need for Public Expressions of Grief
“When memorials become part of our surrounding landscapes and anniversaries are included in annual routines, it is easily assumed that memorials are unchanging. So, what roles can memorials play, how do they remain relevant and therefore important?” (Viejo-Rose) Memorials “are processes involving a constellation of meanings, symbols, emotions, memories, and narratives. Memorials are not inherently about reconciliation, but they can come to be used to communicate reconciliatory messages” (Viejo-Rose). Human beings always try to find ways to come to terms with dramatic experiences and creating a monument is an established approach to the mental process of coping with trauma. There seems to be a need for a certain place or physical construction for people to express their grief in public. The procedure of planning, designing, building, and lastly visiting a memorial inherits therapeutic functions and gives people the chance to deal with the past. Memorials fulfil a range of different functions and “at best, [they] help to heal the wounds of antagonism and to induce individuals to reflect on what they can do to prevent future violence” (Moore 48).
Overcoming the shock is one of the biggest reasons why people feel the need to plan a memorial. The important first step that has to happen after the traumatic experience is planning the memorial. The planning stage gives people the chance to regain agency and practice emotional involvement at the same time. Planning memorials “allowed people to begin […] to feel as if the horrid event itself was over – containable, already a memory” (Sturken 321). The planning process is a look into the future and has a therapeutic function. In addition, this process happens in connection with the cleaning of the site of tragedy to transform the place of trauma into a consecrated place of remembrance, love, and communion (Dobler 179). This shows that memorials do not only concentrate on past events but moreover focus on the future as well.
“Memorials can also provide a place of sanctuary for mourning” (Moore 48). In many cases, memorials remember of “unanticipated violent deaths of people who do not fit into categories of those expect to die, who may be engaging in routine activities in which there is reasonable expectation of safety” (Haney, Leimer, and Lowry 161). In these cases, relatives often cannot take leave in traditional ways. The opportunity of burying the casualties is all too often not given and therefore, people need a different approach to their deceased. Memorials enable the creation of a performative space for memory and mourning and consequently, they take over functions of traditional graveyards as well.
Memorials can also be seen as “memory aids”: they make us remember the recently, suddenly dead, make loss visible and public, to render death memorable and remind us of social responsibility (Doss 32). They function as a never-again-message for future generations and therefore, also have educational character. Memorials “are pedagogical instruments, instilling the lessons of “never again” in future generations or threaten a nascent peace by inciting retaliation through an inflammatory rendering of the past” (Moore 48).
3. Permanent Memorials outside the US
In the following, it will be looked at three memorials that exist outside the USA. They will be analyzed with regard to their appearance, their location, and how they came to be since the prehistory of the individual monuments provides some information of their purposes.
3.1 Israel: 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza near Jerusalem
The 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza is a memorial on the mountain side near Jerusalem in Israel. The plaza, which was designed by the artist Eliezer Weishoff and commissioned by the JNF/KKL (Jewish National Fond), is about 2 ha and was opened in 2009 (Aahren). The 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza commemorates the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and “is made partially from steel taken from the wreckage of the Twin Towers and is the only memorial outside the U.S. that includes the names of all who perished in the attacks” (Johnson).
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1 This means the spontaneous offerings of flowers, candles, balloons, or stuffed animals that are brought to sites of tragic happenings.