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Journals / Uluslararası Kültürel ve Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 12 Sayı: 1

From Representation to Normalization: The Ideological Construction of the Global Threat in Hollywood Cinema Before September 11

Temsilden Normalleşmeye: 11 Eylül Öncesi Hollywood Sinemasında Küresel Tehdidin İdeolojik İnşası

Müzeyyen Pandır(IŞIK ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-1590-4689
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-10-16
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

In conclusion, the study demonstrates that, by projecting the characteristics of former geopolitical enemies onto an extraterrestrial threat, both the film and Hollywood cinema reproduce ideological distinctions in a depoliticized manner while culturally and ideologically shaping perceptions of global threat.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This article examines the cultural construction and ideological normalization of global threat narratives in Hollywood cinema, focusing on the period before the 11 September 2001 attacks.
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Key Findings & Data:Drawing on the concepts of ideology and representation, the study provides a semiotic analysis of Independence Day (1996) and argues that, through a narrative of conflict between America and an alien “Other”, the film rearticulates the East–West binaries of the post-Cold War era.
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Conclusion & Impact:In conclusion, the study demonstrates that, by projecting the characteristics of former geopolitical enemies onto an extraterrestrial threat, both the film and Hollywood cinema reproduce ideological distinctions in a depoliticized manner while culturally and ideologically shaping perceptions of global threat.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2001 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Temsil · İdeoloji · Hollywood

Abstract

This article examines the cultural construction and ideological normalization of global threat narratives in Hollywood cinema, focusing on the period before the 11 September 2001 attacks. Drawing on the concepts of ideology and representation, the study provides a semiotic analysis of Independence Day (1996) and argues that, through a narrative of conflict between America and an alien “Other”, the film rearticulates the East–West binaries of the post-Cold War era. According to the findings, the film portrays an irrational and destructive alien force against a morally superior American identity, which presents U.S. interventions and technological power as essential to humanity’s survival, thus normalizing the conception of a unipolar world order centered on U.S. leadership. Additionally, the film’s scenes of attacks and urban destruction contribute to the construction of large-scale catastrophic imaginaries in the public imagination prior to 9/11, which made the 9/11 attacks appear both shocking and “familiar” when they occurred. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that, by projecting the characteristics of former geopolitical enemies onto an extraterrestrial threat, both the film and Hollywood cinema reproduce ideological distinctions in a depoliticized manner while culturally and ideologically shaping perceptions of global threat.

Özet

Bu makale, Hollywood sinemasında küresel tehdit anlatılarının kültürel inşasını ve ideolojik normalleşmesini, 11 Eylül 2001 saldırıları öncesindeki döneme odaklanarak incelemektedir. İdeoloji ve temsil kavramlarından yararlanan bu çalışma, Independence Day (1996) filminin semiyotik bir analizini sunmakta ve filmin, Amerika ile uzaylı bir “Öteki” arasındaki çatışma hikâyesi üzerinden Soğuk Savaş sonrası dönemin Doğu-Batı ikilemini yeniden kurguladığını savunmaktadır. Bulgulara göre, film, ahlaki açıdan üstün bir Amerikan kimliğine karşı irrasyonel ve yıkıcı bir uzaylı gücü tasvir ederek, ABD’nin askeri müdahalesini ve teknolojik gücünü insanlığın hayatta kalması için vazgeçilmez olarak sunmakta ve böylece ABD liderliğine dayalı tek kutuplu bir dünya düzeni kavramını normalleştirmektedir. Ayrıca, filmin saldırı ve kentsel yıkım sahneleri, 11 Eylül olaylarından önce kamu tahayyülünde büyük ölçekli felaket senaryolarının oluşmasına katkıda bulunmuştur; bu da 11 Eylül saldırılarının gerçekleştiğinde hem şok edici hem de “tanıdık” görünmesine neden olmuştur. Sonuç olarak, bu çalışma, eski jeopolitik düşmanların özelliklerini uzaylı bir tehdide yansıtarak, filmin ve Hollywood sinemasının ideolojik ayrımları depolitize bir şekilde yeniden ürettiğini ve aynı zamanda küresel tehdit algılarını kültürel ve ideolojik olarak şekillendirdiğini göstermektedir.

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Cite This Article

Pandır, M. (2026). From Representation to Normalization: The Ideological Construction of the Global Threat in Hollywood Cinema Before September 11. Uluslararası Kültürel ve Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, Cilt: 12 Sayı: 1. https://doi.org/10.46442/intjcss.1951658

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