Thursday, January 15, 2009

one thought that lingers

from today's discussion, when stephanie mentioned that Guantanamo historically was used as a refugee camp (towards more humanitarian and progressive ends)....it is interesting to think about how the same idea of exception could play out w/ different intentions and 'forms.' Janus-like as it may be, it seems that the camp, perhaps as an isolated heterotopic condition, fosters and perpetuates certain characteristics in how it operates and how it exists territorially in our consciousness. Can Gitmo be reconsidered, or is it inherently its defining character as a military base? At a distance and a conceptual symbol for other forsaken aspects of our society. How does that affect the trajectory of our reprogramming? What are the terms we're working with? Keep that in mind for next week's reading on camps from the 3rd part of Homo Sacer. Similar to how we attempted to define today the definition of terrorism, define specifically the terms of Gitmo. What are we dealing with?

By the way, do you guys think this is a studio on terror or is it aiming for post-terror? Is that even possible? or are we still in the time of terror?  


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2 comments:

  1. EvaJanuary 18, 2009 at 2:17 PM

    I personally always saw Guantanamo as a way that America's identity as an agressive world power could be broadcast to the world. I think this phase just reflects our present preoccupation, and presenting Guantanamo in the lens of a studio on terror would be missing the big picture.

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  2. StephanieJanuary 19, 2009 at 4:14 PM

    I agree with Eva, I don't think that "terror" is necessarily the endgame of why we are studying Guantanamo. Gitmo is in the weird position of being simultaneously disavowed and essential to understanding our national system. Gitmo's operation denies ideals associated with "the American dream," but to understand how the government is working to make that dream a reality, we have to understand Gitmo as part of the system. For now, terrorism drives Gitmo's framework. But the disappearance of terrorism would not change the existence of Guantanamo or its precarious position. Terrorism is part of the picture, but the picture itself is much, much bigger.

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