This book examines the figure of the sleeper agent as part of post-9/11 political, journalistic and fictional discourse. There is a tendency to discuss the terroristic threat after 9/11 as either a faraway enemy to be hunted down by military force or, on the other hand, as a ubiquitous, intangible threat that required constant alertness at home. The missing link between these two is the sleeper agent – the foreign enemy hiding among US citizens. By analyzing popular television shows, several US comic books, and a broad variety of Hollywood films that depict sleeper agents direct or allegorically, this book explores how a shift in perspective―from terrorist to sleeper agent―brings new insights into our understanding of post-9/11 representations of terrorism. The book’s interdisciplinary focus between media studies, cultural studies, and American studies, suggests that it will find an audience in a variety of fields, including historical research, narratology, popular culture, as well as media and terrorism studies.
Author(s): Vanessa Ossa
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 327
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Figures
Chapter 1: Introduction
Works Cited
Chapter 2: Fiction, 9/11, and the Sleeper Agent
9/11 and Fiction
Film and Television in Post-9/11 Discourse
Hypothetical Scenarios
Covert Sphere, Cultural Imaginary, and Terrorism Studies
The Covert Sphere
The Cultural Imaginary of Terrorism
Conceptualizations of Terrorism
Terrorism Studies After 9/11
The Sleeper as Culturally Contingent Concept
What Is a Sleeper Agent?
A Brainwashed Assassin
A Hidden Enemy Within
A Postmodern Enemy
The Sleeper as Enemy in the ‘War on Terror’
An Undefined Enemys
The Enemy in the War on Terror Narrative
The Islamistic Sleeper Agent as Enemy
The Sleeper as Threat in TIME After 9/11
Works Cited
Chapter 3: The Sleeper in Hollywood Cinema After 9/11
Hollywood Cinema Post-9/11
Politics in Hollywood
Hollywood Films After 9/11
Real-Life Monsters or Fictional Alien Terrorists?
Realism in Post-9/11 Cinema
United 9311
(Fantastic) Allegories of Terror
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice30
Secret Villains and Hunted Heroes
The Hidden Enemy
Salt41
Agents on the Run
Jason Bourne and American Ultra47
Products of Foreign Indoctrination or Domestic Propaganda?
Brainwashed Enemies
The Manchurian Candidate49
Manipulation Through Media
Civic Duty53
Prospect: Outsiders and Underdogs—International Cinema
Works Cited
Chapter 4: The Sleeper in US TV Series After 9/11
US Television Post-9/11
Television Reacting to 9/11
Fear and Post-9/11 Television
Clear and Present Danger: Crime and (Counter)terrorism
Politics of Fear
Fearing the Other, the Non-member, and the Alien in Sleeper Cell11
Representation of Islam and Muslim Characters in Sleeper Cell
Authenticity and Everyday Targets in Sleeper Cell
Cold War Residue: Indoctrination, Infiltration, and Ideology
Post-9/11 and the Cold War
Infiltration and Deception in Homeland20
Infiltration and Deception in The Americans25
Indoctrination and Ideology in Homeland
Indoctrination and Ideology in The Americans
Politics of the ‘War on Terror’ in Homeland
Politics of the ‘War on Terror’ in The Americans
Uncertain Identities: A Networked Enemy
Anxiety in the Network Society
Moral Ambiguity and False Identities in Battlestar Galactica36
Forms of Terrorism in Battlestar Galactica
Between Network and Individual in Battlestar Galactica
Prospect: Sleeper Agents on the Fringes—Episodic Television Shows
Works Cited
Chapter 5: The Sleeper in Comic Books After 9/11
Comic Books Post-9/11
The Comic Book Industry Responds
Marvel and DC: Superhero Comics Respond
Sleeper Agents in Post-9/11 Comic Books and Superhero Narratives
Hybrid Characters: The Sleeper as ‘In-Between’
Sleeper Agents as Characters
Uncertain Threats in Secret Invasion
Imagery of 9/11 in Secret Invasion
Hybrid Characters in Secret Invasion
Indoctrinated Minds: The Sleeper as Dependent
The Sleeper and Subjectivity
Superspy (Dick) Grayson
Mistrust and Self-Doubt in Batman & Robin Eternal
Parental Guidance or Mind Control?
Trauma and Fear as Subjective Experiences in Batman & Robin Eternal
Textual Entanglement: The Sleeper as Cross-Linked
Fragmented Information About the Sleeper
Mind MGMT as Extended Text
Fiction and Reality: The Diegetic Level in Mind MGMT
Sleeper Agents in Mind MGMT
Prospect: New Beginning?—A Transmedial Perspective
Works Cited
Chapter 6: Conclusion
Works Cited
Index
