Abstract
United States government-sponsored torture is a sad fact of American history, as much as observers and politicians may try to deny its existence. Most scholarship and media scrutiny of American torture relates to Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, but American torture has a long history that is frequently overlooked. This Independent Study draws on existing scholarship and analysis of mass media during the Cold War and the War on Terror to build a chronology of American-sponsored torture and its portrayal in the news and in fiction. The central research question posed here: how has the public debate surrounding American torture shifted or stayed the same over time? A study of post-1945 American torture uncovers a disturbing repeating cycle that begins with the exposure of wrongdoing, followed by public outrage and rampant denial, justifications, and blame games, and ending with a sense of public amnesia. This IS seeks to understand the broader historical themes, impacts, and implications of American torture, its portrayals in media, and the continuities and changes in the public debate surrounding torture. A deeper understanding of the public debate over torture helps reveal how news and entertainment can shine a light on human rights violations or help justify them.
Advisor
Shaya, Gregory
Department
History
Recommended Citation
Glenn, Julia E., "Deprived of Liberty, Deprived of Death: U.S. Sponsored Torture in Public Debate from the Cold War to the War on Terror" (2025). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 11355.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/11355
Keywords
Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, torture, public debate, media
Publication Date
2025
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2025 Julia E. Glenn