Focus+of+Umbrella+Inquiry

= Intent with Project: = To explore how individuals and media reconcile the dual identities of people who commit crime. We wanted to see how America creates an Us vs Them conception when terror strikes on American soil. With the bombers, many see them at first as "Muslim, Islamic extremist" instead of Americans that have lived in the States since 2002. In addition to the political ramifications associated with conflicts of identity, we also examined the impact on identity formation of living in a non-native culture or interacting with cultures in which one is considered to be "the other" such as we saw in several of the works we read this semester, but particularly in // American Born Chinese //.

Overarching Question:
What impact does cultural influences have on identity formation?

Possibilities for Deeper Analysis:
==== 1. How does one reconcile the cultural differences existing within an individual? Ex. American and Chinese in // American Born Chinese // or the two brothers from Chechnya Republic, but stayed within the U.S. for over a decade. ====

Boston Bomber Case:
==== 1. **Argument:** Some Americans point to the brutal and perilous history of Chechnya to explain why the two men committed the act of terrorism, even though the boys have been living in the States since 2002. ====

** 2. Counterargument: **
"The root of evil should be looked for in the United States," [|Ramzan Kadyro], head of the Chechnya Republic. "They (the brothers) grew up and studied in the United States and their attitudes and beliefs were formed there," Kadyrov said. "Any attempt to make a connection between Chechnya and the Tsarnaevs is in vain." - [|Yahoo News]

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