Category Archives: War, Culture, and Society

Hitchcock’s Documentary on the Holocaust

Posted on January 12, 2014 by briansandberg

Director Alfred Hitchcock made a documentary, entitled Memory of the Camps, on the Holocaust in 1945. Hitchcock used the rushes of the British military film crews that had filmed the liberation of concentration camps, such as Bergen-Belsen, that year. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Atrocities, Historical Film, History in the Media, History of Violence, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Conference on René Allio and Historical Film

Posted on November 19, 2013 by briansandberg

René Allio was one of the most important French directors of historical film in the 1960s and 1970s. Most of Allio’s films focused on historical subjects by depicting historical events, people, or sites. The director is most remembered for his … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, French History, Historical Film, History in the Media, Revolts and Revolutions, War in Film | Leave a comment

Nelson, Navy, Nation

Posted on October 30, 2013 by briansandberg

Britain’s National Maritime Museum recently opened a new permanent gallery on “Nelson, Navy, Nation: The Story of the Royal Navy and the British People, 1688-1815.” The National Maritime Museum explains: “From bustling dockyards to ferocious sea battles, the gallery brings … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, Maritime History, Museums and Historical Memory, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Sixteenth Century Studies Conference

Posted on October 30, 2013 by briansandberg

I participated in the 2013 Sixteenth Century Society and Conference (SCSC) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last weekend. The stunning bastioned fortifications of San Juan provided a fantastic setting for a conference on early modern history. I presented a paper … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, French Wars of Religion, Gender and Warfare, History of Violence, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Black Flag: Pirate History and Video Gaming

Posted on October 30, 2013 by briansandberg

Pirate mania continues.  Following the creation of Talk Like a Pirate Day and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the Assassin’s Creed video games franchise has now shifted into the piracy business. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic World, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, History in the Media, History of Violence, Information Management, Piracy, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

War and Disease

Posted on October 21, 2013 by briansandberg

Disease almost always accompanies warfare. Historians of the European Wars of Religion, the Napoleonic Wars, and the First World War have studied the connections between warfare and epidemic disease in great detail. The Syrian Civil War is now producing a … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of Violence, Human Rights, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Changing Organization of Al-Shabab

Posted on September 28, 2013 by briansandberg

Originally posted on Cluster for the Study of Religious Violence:
The al-Shabab organization has clearly been evolving over the past months, perhaps leading to its spectacular attack on Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, last week. Analysts who study terrorist organizations…

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, History of Violence, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, Terrorism, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Is Violence Contagious?

Posted on September 28, 2013 by briansandberg

A new article in The Atlantic provocatively states that “Violence is Contagious.” Drawing on recent sociological and psychological studies, the article suggests that violence spreads like an epidemic. Certainly, metaphors frequently compare violence to a disease. Waves of violence are … Continue reading →

Posted in Arms Control, Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, History of Violence, Religious Violence, Revolts and Revolutions, Terrorism, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

European War and Society Position

Posted on September 27, 2013 by briansandberg

The Department of History at Sam Houston State University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant or associate professorship in European military history with a start date in August 2014. Ph.D. required by the time of appointment. In addition to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers in History, European History, History of Violence, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Growing Sectarian Violence in Iraq

Posted on September 21, 2013 by briansandberg

Originally posted on Cluster for the Study of Religious Violence:
Sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia militants is again growing in Iraq. A series of bombings targeting civilians at mosques and funerals has rocked Baghdad over the past week. In…

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, History of Violence, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, Terrorism, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment