Historical Reenactment: New Ways of Experiencing History (Making Sense of History Book 44)

Long dismissed as the domain of hobbyists and obsessives, historical reenactment—the dramatization of past events using costumed actors and historical props—has only in recent years attracted serious attention from scholars. Drawing on examples from around the world, __Historical Reenactment__ offers a fascinating, interdisciplinary exploration of this cultural phenomenon. With particular attention to reenactment’s social and pedagogical dimensions, it develops a robust definition of what the practice constitutes, considers what methodological approaches are most appropriate, and places it alongside museums and memorial sites as an object of analysis. Contents Illustrations INTRODUCTION Approaching Historical Reenactments Part I NEW THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES CHAPTER 1 On Motives for Reenactment: The Kindertransport CHAPTER 2 Conceptualizing the Period Rush: Ludic Dimensions of Immersive History in Historical Reenactment Part II REENACTMENTS AS TOOLS OF CULTURAL AND NATIONAL IDENTITIES CHAPTER 3 Historical Reenactments in Spain: A Critical Approach to Public Perceptions of the Iron Age and Roman Past CHAPTER 4 Reenacting the Reconquista Myth? Some Refl ections on Moros y Cristianos Festivals in Spain Part III POLITICS OF REENACTMENT Troubled Pasts, Colonialism, and Democratic Prospects CHAPTER 5 Statue Wars and Reenactments: Reinterpreting the Colonial Past in Australia CHAPTER 6 From Yogyakarta to Independence: Negotiating Narratives in the Historical Reenactment of Recolonization in Indonesia CHAPTER 7 Memory Sites and Reenacting State Terrorism: The Museum at Argentina’s Naval Mechanics School Part IV REENACTMENTS AS EDUCATIONAL DEVICES IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL CONTEXTS CHAPTER 8 Reenacting the Past in the School Yard: Its Role of Reenactment in Civic and History Education CHAPTER 9 Inside Historical Reenactment EPILOGUE What Is the Task of Reenactment? Index "Long dismissed as the domain of hobbyists and obsessives, historical reenactment--the dramatization of past events using costumed actors and historical props--has only in recent years attracted serious attention from scholars. Drawing on examples from around the world, Historical Reenactment offers a fascinating, interdisciplinary exploration of this cultural phenomenon. With particular attention to reenactment's social and pedagogical dimensions, it develops a robust definition of what the practice constitutes, considers what methodological approaches are most appropriate, and places it alongside museums and memorial sites as an object of analysis"-- Provided by publisher

Long dismissed as the domain of hobbyists and obsessives, historical reenactment—the dramatization of past events using costumed actors and historical props—has only in recent years attracted serious attention from scholars. Drawing on examples from around the world, Historical Reenactment offers a fascinating, interdisciplinary exploration of this cultural phenomenon. With particular attention to reenactment's social and pedagogical dimensions, it develops a robust definition of what the practice constitutes, considers what methodological approaches are most appropriate, and places it alongside museums and memorial sites as an object of analysis.