{"id":{"repo_id":"umn","oai_identifier":"oai:conservancy.umn.edu:11299/174775"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/umn/oai:conservancy.umn.edu:11299/174775","repository":{"repo_id":"umn","name":"University of Minnesota","base_url":"https://conservancy.umn.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Strategic Ambiguity in the Production and Reception of War Dramas","abstract":"This project uses the rhetorical concept of strategic ambiguity to analyze how U.S. war films from 2006 through 2011 framed the politics of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I argue that, rather than presenting partisan propaganda or apolitical drama, these films purposefully ambiguated their political positions in order to please both supporters and opponents of the wars. I begin by examining how industrial constraints on depicting the politics the wars led to ambiguity as a representational tactic. Using the 2007 drama <italic>Grace Is Gone</italic> as a case study, I then conduct a qualitative and quantitative audience survey suggesting how viewers' can interpret the film's political positions. I conclude by arguing that, rather than criticizing Hollywood for a left- or rightwing bias in matters of war, we must instead understand how discourses of apoliticality serve the industry's military-industrial interests.","abstract_html":"This project uses the rhetorical concept of strategic ambiguity to analyze how U.S. war films from 2006 through 2011 framed the politics of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I argue that, rather than presenting partisan propaganda or apolitical drama, these films purposefully ambiguated their political positions in order to please both supporters and opponents of the wars. I begin by examining how industrial constraints on depicting the politics the wars led to ambiguity as a representational tactic. Using the 2007 drama &lt;italic&gt;Grace Is Gone&lt;/italic&gt; as a case study, I then conduct a qualitative and quantitative audience survey suggesting how viewers&#x27; can interpret the film&#x27;s political positions. I conclude by arguing that, rather than criticizing Hollywood for a left- or rightwing bias in matters of war, we must instead understand how discourses of apoliticality serve the industry&#x27;s military-industrial interests.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hassoun, Daniel"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-06","date_published":"2013-06","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:19:58Z","subjects":["Iraq","politics","polysemy","reception","strategic ambiguity","war film"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11299/174775","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hassoun, Daniel"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2015-10-13T18:52:41Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-10-13T18:52:41Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2013-06"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis or Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Iraq","politics","polysemy","reception","strategic ambiguity","war film"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11299/174775"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["University of Minnesota M.A. thesis. June 2013. Major: Communication Studies. Advisor: Mary Vavrus. 1 computer file (PDF); iii, 74 pages."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This project uses the rhetorical concept of strategic ambiguity to analyze how U.S. war films from 2006 through 2011 framed the politics of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I argue that, rather than presenting partisan propaganda or apolitical drama, these films purposefully ambiguated their political positions in order to please both supporters and opponents of the wars. I begin by examining how industrial constraints on depicting the politics the wars led to ambiguity as a representational tactic. Using the 2007 drama <italic>Grace Is Gone</italic> as a case study, I then conduct a qualitative and quantitative audience survey suggesting how viewers' can interpret the film's political positions. I conclude by arguing that, rather than criticizing Hollywood for a left- or rightwing bias in matters of war, we must instead understand how discourses of apoliticality serve the industry's military-industrial interests."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Strategic Ambiguity in the Production and Reception of War Dramas"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Hassoun, Daniel"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2015-10-13T18:52:41Z"],"dc:date.available":["2015-10-13T18:52:41Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2013-06"],"dc:description":["University of Minnesota M.A. thesis. June 2013. Major: Communication Studies. Advisor: Mary Vavrus. 1 computer file (PDF); iii, 74 pages."],"dc:description.abstract":["This project uses the rhetorical concept of strategic ambiguity to analyze how U.S. war films from 2006 through 2011 framed the politics of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I argue that, rather than presenting partisan propaganda or apolitical drama, these films purposefully ambiguated their political positions in order to please both supporters and opponents of the wars. I begin by examining how industrial constraints on depicting the politics the wars led to ambiguity as a representational tactic. Using the 2007 drama <italic>Grace Is Gone</italic> as a case study, I then conduct a qualitative and quantitative audience survey suggesting how viewers' can interpret the film's political positions. I conclude by arguing that, rather than criticizing Hollywood for a left- or rightwing bias in matters of war, we must instead understand how discourses of apoliticality serve the industry's military-industrial interests."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11299/174775"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:subject":["Iraq","politics","polysemy","reception","strategic ambiguity","war film"],"dc:title":["Strategic Ambiguity in the Production and Reception of War Dramas"],"dc:type":["Thesis or Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:19:58Z"}