Category Archives: War, Culture, and Society

Guns in Film

When did guns become pervasive in film?  Perhaps earlier than you imagine…. This is a shootout scene from The Great Train Robbery (1903). Milos Stehlik, of Facets in Chicago, considered the portrayal of guns in film recently on WBEZ’s Worldview. … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Film, History of Violence, War in Film | Leave a comment

Nuclear Disaster in Japanese Film

Chicago’s Worldview featured a story today on “Nuclear Disaster in Japanese Film,” by Facets film commentator Milos Stehlik.  This piece does not really have any great new revelations, but does provide a nice introduction to nuclear nightmares in postwar Japanese … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental History, History of Violence, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Recent Civil War Films

I recently came across an article from the American Historical Association’s Perspectives examining historical films portraying the American Civil War since Glory. Students in HIST 390 History and Film: War in Film may be interested in this article.  

Posted in Civil Conflict, Historical Film, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Upcoming Conference on Imperialism

Between Friction and Collaboration: Imperial Elites and Local Powerbrokers Northwestern University, 15-16 April 2011 Northwestern University is hosting an upcoming conference on imperialism, entitled “Between Friction and Collaboration: Imperial Elites and Local Powerbrokers.” Graduate students at Northern Illinois University working … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Current Research, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, History of Violence, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

The New Mediterranean Geopolitics

French military intervention in the Libyan civil war has prompted new thinking about French military policies and about international politics in the Mediterranean region. Le Monde published a debate between several experts on Mediterranean culture and politics, including the historian … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Comparative Revolutions, Empires and Imperialism, French History, Mediterranean World, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

French Military Intervention in Libya and the Ivory Coast

France is suddenly very active in African conflicts, with major military interventions in Libya and the Ivory Coast. French forces have long been involved in the Ivory Coast and in other west African nations where France arguably still has neocolonial … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, French History, Gender and Warfare, History of Violence, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Religious Intolerance and Violence

An episode of religious intolerance in the United States — the burning of a copy of the Qur’an — has provoked a new wave of religious violence in Afghanistan. A Florida pastor and his congregation burned a Qur’an recently, outraging … Continue reading →

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

Crisis Mapping of Conflict Zones

The United Nations has launched an initiative to do “crisis mapping” of conflict zones, such as Libya, using social media online. The Chronicle of Higher Education has a story about how academics around the world are participating in the UN … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Comparative Revolutions, Digital Humanities, History in the Media, Humanities Education, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Of Pirates, Empire, and Terror

An interview with Lauren Benton and Dan Edelstein, authors of two new books on piracy, imperialism, and violence appears in a recent issue of the academic journal Humanity. Lauren Benton’s book, A Search for Sovereignty: Law and Geography in European … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, Globalization, Piracy, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Napoleonic War Finance in the Media

Princeton economist Paul Krugman discusses war finance during the Napoleonic Wars in his New York Times blog. This short piece is based on an academic journal article published in the Journal of Economic History in 1991.  The article by professors … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative Revolutions, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment