W. James Booth is a Professor in the Dept. of Political Science and the Dept. of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. His most recent book is Communities of Memory. On Witness, Identity, and Justice (Cornell University Press, 2006)

James Booth - Vanderbilt University Professor of Political Science; Vanderbilt University Professor Philosophy; author of Communities of Memory; Households: On the Moral Architecture of the Economy; Interpreting the World: Kant’s Philosophy of History and Politics; and the coeditor of Politics and Rationality.

It is difficult to believe that 2007 marks the 6th Anniversary of September 11, 2001. . . . when Americans heard those first unbelievable reports that a plane, and then another plane, had crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Soon this was followed by a crash from a hijacked Boeing 757 slamming into the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 crashing in a field in southwest Pennsylvania.

For millions of Americans, December 7, 1941, is permanently linked to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. November 22, 1963, is instantly synonymous with John F. Kennedy's assassination. Now one more date has been added to the list of dark days indelibly etched in Americans’ minds and memories: September 11, 2001.

For a generation of students who were not around when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated or when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, the events of that day -- in New York City, Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania -- are pivotal in their lives. The impact of this date will never be forgotten.

This year’s sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, offers a time to remember, to reflect about this unforgettable moment in history, and to reconsider the effect that September 11 has had on our country and the world.

In this video conference, James Booth will explore the morality and politics of memory through the dual themes of death and justice: how do we do justice to the dead—especially those who were victims of political crime? There is no simple answer to this question, because forgetting and reconciliation, as well as untempered justice, are sometimes called for.

Remembering 9/11 belongs to the shaping of the American national identity and reflects a moral responsibility to the victims of that terrorist attack. Professor Booth states that "remembering" in a democratic society, reflects the diversity and political nature of that community. Remembering is a vital part of what makes us a community.

This video conference will be filled with insights; with powerful words; and with memorable images. In his book Communities of Memory, James Booth argues that the crimes of the past should not simply be forgotten in the hopes of their going away, but that justice demands that we keep memories of the victims alive. While we may need to balance the demands to repay the debts of the past with the need to look forward and start afresh for the next generation, that balancing act cannot and should never fully consign past victims to oblivion.

“These are the times that try men's souls.  The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.  Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.  What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”  

 

The American Crisis - Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776.

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