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IU Bloomington

Edward Linenthal

Department of History

Expert Bio

Edward Linenthal is a professor emeritus in the Department of History and adjunct professor of American studies. He was a member of the Flight 93 Memorial Commission; a member of an advisory group for a memorial to the terrorist attack in Norway; and a visiting scholar of civic engagement with the National Park Service. He also worked for NPS at the 50th anniversary at Pearl Harbor.

His books include “Sacred Ground: Americans and Their Battlefields,” “Preserving Memory: The Struggle to Create America’s Holocaust Museum,” “The Unfinished Bombing: Oklahoma City in American Memory” and “Symbolic Defense: The Cultural Meaning of the Strategic Defense Initiative.” He was co-editor of “History Wars: The Enola Gay and Other Battles for the American Past,” “American Sacred Space” and “The Landscapes of 9/11: A Photographer’s Journey.”

He co-directs a one-week Gilder Lehrman teacher seminar, “9/11 and American Memory,” at the September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City each July. He has, over the years, done some significant media events, including appearances on the Diane Rehm show on NPR, ABC’s “Nightline,” CBS’ web version of “60 Minutes,” CBS and NBC News, among others.

Areas of Expertise

Memorialization; interpretation of historic sites; war and memory.

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