Inam Mustafa
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Yarden Katz
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Digital Studies Institute / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 6 – 4:40pm – 5:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors:
Presenter: 96
Abstract
The purpose of “How Bioweapons Are Depicted in the US Media” is to explore the development of bioweapons by the US and explore how bioweaponry is presented in the media, in order to better understand the dangers of imperialism beyond the ideal of just ‘owning land’. More specifically, we are exploring the different entities in the United States that fund bioweapons work to be used in Palestine, while identifying their intent of doing so. Through this investigation, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and archival research were analyzed in order to discover the entities that are contributing to the development of bioweaponry and understanding their intent as to why they do it. A wide range of documentaries, films, and other related media were also screened to explore the different ways bioweaponry and bioterror is being depicted to the general public. Our findings indicate that the depictions of bioterror and bioweaponry in films/media are not accurate, as they imply that bioweapons are used by foreign, terrorist enemies when in fact the United States is one major developer of bioweapons. With these findings, our objective is to unravel where, why, and how bioweaponry is used. This is to prevent more lives from being injured/lost in our country and across the world. Ultimately, the spread of false ideologies through the media’s depiction of bioweaponry prevents any action to be taken against it. As a whole, these findings also demonstrate on a broader scale that imperialism is not just defined as taking over one’s land, but also one’s heritage, culture, and identity.
Arts and Humanities
