Ashes and aftermath

Abstract

Living within walking distance of "ground zero," Neil Smith directly confronted not only the enormity of the destruction, but also the inability to comprehend on the part of many for whom the violence of the 20th century had remained distant, even when the American state was directly implicated. Answers to the question "why us" require a "multi-scalar" perspective—one capable of recognizing the multiple and complex connections traversing local, national and global spaces.