-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Dissertation Announcement - Michael Moravitz REVISED ABSTRACT
Date:	Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:31:38 -0400
From:	Susan Turriziani <[log in to unmask]>
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To: The George Mason University Community

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to announce the following dissertation defense:

Michael Moravitz
History
Dissertation Director: Dr. Martin Sherwin

"Lone Gunman or Patsy: A Cultural History of Lee Harvey Oswald"

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
3:30 PM - 6:00 PM
George Mason University, Fairfax Campus
Student Union Building II, VIP Room II

More than 40 years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, the tragedy continues to spark controversy. Key questions remain in dispute, and a battle has taken place in American culture over the alleged assassin, the enigmatic former Marine Lee Harvey Oswald. In American culture, there is not one Oswald but many Oswalds, reflecting myriad theories about the assassination. In these portrayals, Oswald appears as a post-modern man – how his life is interpreted depends on the perspective of the viewer. Basic facts of Oswald’s life are debated concerning his political beliefs, his connection to espionage, and what his role was in the assassination. How one perceives Oswald in part reflects how one perceives the United States during the Cold War: Oswald as lone gunman is an anomaly in a generally good society, and he is placed outside the community politically and socially. Oswald as patsy reflects a darker view of American society, in which he was connected to forces larger than himself let loose in American society by the Cold War or active in the criminal underworld.

Copies of the dissertation are on reserve in the Johnson Center Library. The doctoral project will not be read at the meeting, but should be read in advance.

All members of the George Mason University community are invited to attend.