This thesis investigates the uptake and circulation of one iconic image of the War in Iraq. Taken in 2003, the image of two American Soldiers, one Iraqi man, and the infamous Statue of Saddam Hussein became one of the most circulated images of war throughout the United States. Specifically, this thesis looks at the ways in which this iconic image (re)creates the American national imaginary at three different moments in the war: 2003, 2010, and 2013. Throughout the analysis, citizens relate to the image in three different waysas citizen-liberators, citizen-democratizers, and citizen-commemorators. This investigation addresses the way in which nationalism, identification, and definition can be mapped onto the same image at three different points in time and illustrates how one visual image works within the democratic process. Overall, this study contributes to what we know about visual rhetoric, citizen identities, and iconic images of war.
