The authors of the articles in this
special edition share a common intellectual belief in the idea that historical
films play an important role in shaping individual and collective ideas about
world history. We also are in agreement that an important role for historians
as scholars and educators is to create a better understanding and analysis of
how images which are portrayed on film shape our collective understandings of
the global past. It is not assumed that historical films can offer perfect replications
of the past, but that they are important texts or visual sources that should be
analyzed and interpreted, just as historians have for so long done with written
texts. At the same time, it is recognized that there is a certain degree of
complexity involved in the analysis of world history films which makes the
enterprise of intellectually stimulating and even daunting. The articles
contained here provide a range of subject matter and historical/filmic
interpretations and will provide useful examples of how world history films can
be utilized both for scholarly analysis and for educational purposes. Many, if
not all, of the articles can be read both by those who are interested in the
topic for their scholarly research and for those contemplating using films as
an important part of world history classes.
In the first paper, I present some
ideas on how world history educators who are contemplating creating new courses
on world history films can begin the process of creating their syllabus, by
providing some examples from my own teaching, as well as some suggestions on
classroom activities, discussion questions, and assessments for such a course.
The second article by Peter Burkholder provides a primer
on how historians should approach the analysis of historical films, including
what the typical elements or conventions of historical filmmaking consist of
and he also explains how films must be approached differently from written
historical sources. Desmond Cheung's piece examines the portrayal in Chinese
films of China's involvement in World War II and Cheung suggests that films can
provide a useful point of reference for the teaching of China's involvement in
World War II, while also helping to provide more historical information and
context to scholars. Robert Eng examines another
genre of historical filmmaking: the made-for-television documentary film. In
his article, Eng analyzes two Chinese television
documentaries, one from the recent past and one from the 1980s, and the
meta-narratives (or grand, overarching narratives intended to explain a
society's legitimation through a master idea) contained in them about China's
relative position in the world, and in world history. Alex Holowicki's article is an in-depth analysis, using collected written sources and images, of
a now-lost 1919 film called Whom the Gods Would Destroy, which was
produced to promote the League of Nations. His article points to the potential
benefits of analyzing older films for their global historical significance.
Todd Scarth's article provides an analysis of the
work of the contemporary innovative documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis, whose
films are noted for their use of montage and BBC archival footage to construct
narratives about recent world history. Scarth explores how Curtis' films engage with the recent
past in an innovative or avant-garde way. Libi Sundermann and Joshua Scullin's essay advocates the
educational benefits of the film Pink Floyd: the Wall (1982) and they discuss the film's usefulness for engaging students
with twentieth century, and perhaps twenty-first century, world history for its
references to the fears associated with ultra-nationalism or fascism. Eric
Engel Tuten's paper will also be of use for many who
contemplate using films in their teaching. Tuten discusses how he uses the film Waltz With Bashir (2008)
in the classroom and he provides detailed examples of how he engages with the
students while teaching about the film.
Scott
C.M. Bailey is an Assistant Professor of History at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Japan. He is the author of In the 'Wild Countries'
of Central Asia: Ethnography, Science, and Empire in the Russian Empire, which will be published in
2019. He can be reached at sbailey@kansaigaidai.ac.jp |
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