Encounters Between Violence and Media| “We Are One”: Mediatized Death Rituals and the Recognition of Marginalized Others

Abstract

Drawing on the analytics of grievability, an analytical framework for the study of mediatized death, this article analyzes the media coverage of the massacres at Pulse LGBT+ nightclub (Orlando, Florida, 2016) and Al-Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre (Christchurch, New Zealand, 2019). These were two moments of crisis—when violence was directed toward marginalized Others (in terms of sexual orientation, ethnic background, or religion)—that were followed by public, collective mourning rituals performed synergically by the state and the media. These mediatized mourning rituals advocated for recognizing marginalized Others as belonging to broader communities and as worthy of security and solidarity, despite the differences that regularly outcast these Others. The mediatized death rituals following these attacks facilitated what I call Benevolent Grief—the utilization of grief for reintegration and recognition of “the Other” as “part of us.”