Monsters in the Mirror: Representations of Nazism in Post-War Popular Culture

(Hardback)

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Description

This collection provides readers with a comprehensive overview of postwar representations of Nazism in popular culture, documenting and critiquing their enormous impact and importance. From Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator to the depiction of Nazis in the Raiders of the Lost Ark to other various literature, comic books, video games, television programs, and pop music, Nazism has maintained a constant presence in popular culture after World War II. Why are representations of Nazismwhich are often used to depict the ultimate expression of human evilso entrenched in our culture Each chapter in this book examines this multifaceted topic from different angles, highlighting the different incidences of Nazistic representations in the post-1945 period. The diverse subject matter in this text ranges from analysis of recent allo-historical novels, to the music of the "neo-folk" movement, to fetishes and pornography. Readers will gain insight on how the imagery and symbology of Nazism in popular culture has changed over time and understand how the disconnect between representations of Nazism and the historical record have developed, particularly with regard to the genocide that resulted from Nazi politics.

Reviews

In this edited volume, Buttsworth and Abbenhuis have successfully addressed a highly charged topic in scholarship: representations of Nazism in modern popular culture. The many sources demonstrate the book's interdisciplinary character. Readers will find compelling analyses of everyday artifacts, such as comic books, television, and classroom curricula. Highly recommended. * Choice *

Author Bio

Sara Buttsworth is senior tutor in the Department of History at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Maartje Abbenhuis is senior lecturer in modern European history at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.