Affirming a Nation: The Construction of U.S. National Identity During the Persian Gulf War and the War on Terrorism

摘要

This thesis explores the construction of U.S. national identity by the president and the news media during two of America's most significant crises in the late 20th century: the 1991 Persian Gulf War and the September 11, 2001 attacks and subsequent war on terrorism. Quantitative and qualitative content analysis of major presidential addresses and editorials in the New York Times and The Washington Post before and during these crises suggest the following: (1) the two presidents used national identity as a strategic communication tool more frequently during the crises than in peacetime, and (2) editorials published during the crisis periods offered constructions of U.S. national identity similar to those offered by the two presidents. Findings further reinforce the idea that the president wields great rhetorical power in shaping public discourse during a crisis and that the news media are not only a conduit of information during a crisis, but an active agent of mass mobilization. (10 tables, 4 figures, 89 refs.).