America in the scope : A post-colonial study of American Sniper, mourning and nationalism

Abstract:

The aim of this thesis is to discuss how themes of nationalism, mourning and death can be implemented in a film such as American Sniper to reproduce the idea of nation states as well as enforce nationalism. Through a close analysis of chosen sequences in the film the thesis presents a mode of looking at film, rooted in the given themes, which will help analyzing similar films with these reoccurring themes. The study shows not only how a film such as American Sniper can be seen as a form of reproducing banal nationalism but also how given narratives devalue the life of Others while reinforcing the idea of how Our lives are valuable, essentially creating a rift between who can be mourned and who can be forgotten. This rift can be seen in the narrative of the film and it is argued that this is acting as a form of banal propaganda, enforcing Our right to perpetrate violence against Them.