Abstract

Abstract Documentary mediums have been called upon to refute denials of mass suffering throughout the twentieth century. This essay argues that refutation is a documentary impulse as definitive as the mission to amplify marginalized voices. Moreover, patterns in refuting denials of harm and moral responsibility indicate shifting conditions of public grievability. Comparing over a dozen documentaries about Prevention through Deterrence—a border control strategy nationalized under the Clinton administration—the analysis shows that migrant fatality maps and forensic lab footage not only document death but also refute commonplace denials of migrant human rights.

Journal
Rhetoric & Public Affairs
Published
2019-12-01
DOI
10.14321/rhetpublaffa.22.4.0615
Open Access
Closed
Topics

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Rhetoric & Public Affairs

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Also cites 14 works outside this index ↓
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  6. 20. Rebecca M. Schreiber, The Undocumented Everyday: Migrant Lives and the Politics of Visibility (Minneapoli…
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  12. 69. Lilie Chouliaraki, “The Theatricality of Humanitarianism: A Critique of Celebrity Advocacy,” Communicatio…
  13. 82. Irene Bruna Seu and S. Orgad, “Mediated Humanitarian Knowledge: Audiences’ Reactions and Moral Actions,” …
  14. 87. Cohen, States of Denial; and Irene Bruna Seu, “‘Doing Denial’: Audience Reaction to Human Rights Appeals,…
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