Cornell University

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Science & Technology Studies Seminar - Jay Aronson, Carnegie Mellon University

Monday, November 20, 2017 at 3:30pm to 5:00pm

701 Clark Hall

Who Owns the Dead? The Science and Politics of Death at Ground Zero

I will discuss efforts to recover and identify the remains of victims from the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, as well as the profound impact that human remains had on the redevelopment of the site and the creation of the memorial there. I will demonstrate that the forensic recovery effort cannot be understood simply on scientific grounds because it was at its heart a political and moral statement. I will examine the challenges of dealing with politically significant deaths for families of the victims, for those charged with memorializing them, and for government officials managing the recovery effort. I will also explore ongoing legal and cultural disputes about who ought to have a say in memorialization efforts and disposition of unidentified remains—or to put it another way, who owns the dead. I will conclude by arguing that the New York City Medical Examiner’s promise to continue efforts to reattach a name to all World Trade Center remains in perpetuity has had profound impacts, both positive and negative, on families and the recovery effort. 

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Event Type

Lecture, Seminar

Departments

Science and Technology Studies

Tags

sts, cas, cashum, 9/11, Law and Society, cascal

Cost

FREE

Contact E-Mail

kdg47@cornell.edu

Contact Name

Trina Garrison

Contact Phone

607-255-3810

Speaker

Jay Aronson

Speaker Affiliation

Department of History, Carnegie Mellon University

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