This book provides a critical analysis of Donald Trump's mention of General Pershing and his alleged use of bullets dipped in pig's blood to kill 49 out of 50 captured Muslims during the suppression years in the Philippines. The author argues that most observers who heard this fable dismissed it as an inaccurate representation of historical realities that also maligned a great general. Using critiques of both Trump and post-truths, the author argues that instead of being summarily dismissive of these comments, academics, investigative journalists and others ought to follow the US president's admonition that we study history, but do so in nuanced ways. The author argues that there are times when false renditions of historical events may in fact provide opportunities to revisit contentious pasts, and this book suggests that in place of sanitized military histories, we take this opportunity to provide detailed analyses of the Moro rebellion.

Illustrates the heuristic value of using critical genealogical studies through a case study of the Moro Rebellion
Provides a unique approach to debunking Trump's comments about General Pershing's use of the "pig-bullet" strategy
Offers a more nuanced study of what General Pershing's Staffand his soldiers and followersreally did practice when they fought the Moro

Autorentext

Marouf A. Hasian, Jr. is Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Utah, USA. He is the author of Restorative Justice, Humanitarian Rhetorics, and Public Memories of Colonial Camp Cultures (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).

Inhalt

1. Theory, Praxis, and American Politics in the Age of Post-Truths
2. Competing Military and Civilian Remembrances of Black Jack Pershing and the Moros, 1899-1914
3. Cultural Amnesias, Changing Political Needs in the U.S. and the Philippines, and Conflicting Memories of General Pershing and the Moro Rebellion, 1915-2000
4. Post-9/11 Anxieties, Donald Trump's Post-truths, Pershing, and Contemporary Defenses of Counterinsurgency Hearts and Minds Strategies