9-11: The New American Origin Story, The Invention of Tradition

The Invention of Tradition by Eric Hobsbawm

'Invented tradition' is taken to mean a set of practices, normally governed by overtly or tactily accepted rules and of a ritual or symbolic nature, which seek to inculcate certain values and norms of behavior by repetition, which automatically implies continuity with the past. In fact, where possible, they normally attempt to establish continuity with a suitable historic past.