From the Other to the Double: Identity in Conflict and the Boston Marathon Bombing

摘要

Mediated representations of identity have long been mobilized to energize war efforts. While conflict has changed significantly in the past 70 years, thinking about the relationship between identity, media representation, and conflict continues to revolve around notions of the Other. This article develops a more nuanced theory of identity and conflict, as it manifests in the phenomenon of homegrown terrorism, through the figure of the Double. The function of identity in and for conflict is explored by situating media representations of threat in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing within theories of enmity and biopower. Ultimately, the article argues that the Double, which unsettles identity and defers its closure, is a fundamental component of the strategies and discourses of contemporary conflict.