Performing civic identity: The iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima

Abstract

Iconic photographs are widely recognized as representations of significant historical events, activate strong emotional response, and are reproduced across a range of media, genres, or topics. The appeal of the iconic image of a group of Marines raising the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima arises from its embodiment of three discourses of political identity— egalitarianism, nationalism, and civic republicanism. Its appropriations reflect a range of public attitudes‐civic piety, irony, nostalgia, and cynicism. The role of visual icons in constructing civic attitudes to mediate historical events was underscored by the use of the flag‐raising image following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.