Main Theme: History used as Propaganda.
During world history political leaders, religious streams, countries used their own history as propaganda…
Workshops:
We divided the main theme in seven workshops. The first four are all about one historical period. The last one is a more academic one. Each workshop may contain 7 or 8 participants and is leaded by a workshop leader with whom you will be in contact after enrollment.
1) Ancient History (3000 BC – 500 AD)
Political Cults
In this workshop, we will examine a phenomenon which was widespread in antiquity: the cult of political leaders. In the introduction, a broad historical overview will be given. We will trace the origins back to the civilizations of the ancient near east, go over important stages such as the reign of Alexander and the Ptolemies, and finish with the cult of the Roman emperors. Next, the participants will choose certain aspects of the cults of political leaders which they want to examine. Afterwards, a debate will be held about the conclusions of each participant’s research.
2) Middle Ages (500 AD – 1500 AD)
Relics and Foundation Myths
The Medieval society was characterised by the dominance of religion in every aspect of society. Relics and foundation legends were used especially as religious and political propaganda to legitimise power and institutions and to obtain income. The belief, both in Christian and Muslim society, in the power of relics, the physical remains of a holy site or object or of a holy person, or objects they came in contact with, is as old as the faith itself. Relics were more than mementos. The Bible refers to the healing power of objects that were touched by Christ or his apostles. The physical body of a saint provided a spiritual link with the afterlife, a connection between man and God. People believed that the divine grace of the martyr was still present in his relics and therefore these objects were inestimable treasures for the faithful. Fuelled by the belief in the afterlife and resurrection, the power of the soul, and the role of saints as our advocates in heaven, the worship of relics in the Middle Ages rivalled the daily sacraments of the Medieval church. This workshop welcomes papers on the theme of relics and foundation myths ranging chronologically from the Late Roman/Early Medieval period up to the Late Medieval/Early Modern period and ranging geographically from Northern and Western Europe through Central and Eastern Europe to the whole Mediterranean. Also considerations of the topic in other religions are most welcome. Each paper should be between 20 to 30 minutes in length and there will be time for questions and discussion afterwards.
3) Early Modern Times (1500 AD – 1750 AD)
(Contra)Reformation
Between roughly 1500 and 1800 a lot changed in the European World. New worlds were discovered, the catholic unity of Western Europe was broken, revolutionary movements sprung around Europe and the New World, printing revolutionized the way people could get access to information, …. This workshop tries to give an insight in the way propaganda was used during this period using three cases. The first case focuses on the period of the Eighty Years’ was and the counterreformation. How did protestant movement distribute their teachings and convince so much people to discard their old beliefs and follow a new and often illegal faith. And how did Rome react after the council of Trente to try and contain the new religion and convince the masses that they were still the ‘true’ religion. The second case focuses on a new important medium: the newspaper. Especially in England (later on Great-Britain) newspapers were politically biased and several great authors used their talents to convince people of the views of a certain political party. Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift both wrote several pamphlets defending or condemning the foreign policy of the government especially in the way Great-Britain treated France. Also during this period a new genre of art came into exisctence: the political cartoon. These were generally made to ridicule other countries and parties and again England produced some of the greatest examples. The last case concerns two of the most intriguing events in early modern history: the French and the American revolution. In both cases the revolutionaries used propaganda to awake the masses. The famous picture of the Boston Massacre convinced a great part of the thirteen colonies that they were being oppressed by the British where in fact the British soldiers were surrounded by an angry mob. In France the pictures of fat priests and aristocrats enraged the starving people in such a way they were willing to commit regicide and create an all new state form. Some of these cases will be presented by professors who have intensely studied these subjects. Names and more info will be following soon.
4) Modern Times (1750 AD – 2010 AD)
National Image Building in Times of Conflict
” We must remember that in time of war what is said on the enemy’s side of the front is always propaganda, and what is said on our side of the front is truth and righteousness, the cause of humanity and a crusade for peace.” (Walter Lippmann)
Every conflict is fought on at leas two grounds: the battlefield and the minds of the people via propaganda The ‘good guys’ and the
’bad guys’ can often both be guilty of misleading their people with distrotions, exaggerations, subjectivity, inaccuracy and even
fabrications, in order to receive support and a sense of legitimacy.
Many say that it is inevitable in war that people will die. Yet, in many cases, war itself is not inevitable and propaganda is often
employed to go closer to war, if that is the preferred foreign policy option.
“In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies” (Winston Churchill)
We must keep in mind that as well as “enemies’ having propaganda mechanisms, we also have our own
propaganda mechanisms (counter-propaganda).
Possible topics:
- I want to make a part of this also relate to the gender-topic. So how are women/men used in propaganda. eg. We search for
man to join the army? We search for women who are going to replace the man in the factories.
- Military Control of Information: The Information – operation groups who is a new unit in the armies everywhere. (probably we
have a guest lecture about this topic)
”Information is the currency of victory”
- embedded journalism: an advantage for the military
This was an idea born from the public relations industry and provided media outlets a detailed and fascinating
view for their audiences. eg.Iraq invasion
- Dilemma of Journalists and Wartime coverage: With military conflicts reporting raises an interesting dilemma for
some; on the one hand the military wish to present various aspects that would support a campaingn, while on the
other hand, a journalist is supposed to be critical.
– wider propaganda: name-calling ; glittering generality; euphemisms; Transfer; testimonial; Plain folks; Band Wagon; Fear
- Fake News: media manipulation
…
And of course other things who are related to this topic! Be original
5) History of the Press
The first newspapers appeared in the seventeenth century. At the beginning they were published only once a month or a few times a year. Nowadays there are journals everywhere and everyday. Almost everyone has access to the news through the press. This workshop has a double focus. On the one side we will look at the evolution of the newspapers. Why did they appear? Who made them in the first place? How did they evolve? On the other side we’ll examine the consequences of the appearance of these journals in history and in present. Did the appearance of the press changed history or did press only reveal the ‘history’ to the people? The last question is off course what the future will bring for the press.
6) Colonial Legitimation
Take up the White Man’s burden
Send forth the best ye breed
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives’ need
To Wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild
Your new-caught, sullen peoples
Half-devil and half-child
- Rudyard Kipling -
Today, we all know that the main cause of colonialism was in fact the desire to create and expand an economic ‘empire’. But such a statement wasn’t popular at all. Citizens of colonising powers had to be convinced of a greater purpose, in their eyes colonisation had to be ‘good’. In this workshop we will examine how countries approached this problem, focusing on the colonial empires of the nineteenth century. What was the role of religion and culture? Was the state involved or were there important individuals? Did the citizens believe their government?
7) Propaganda in Education / Education as Propaganda
J. R. Fisher – 2009 “Government monopolization of education is the most abominable of propaganda channels because it is aimed at citizens who are not yet equipped to withstand it.”
W. MT. Sedgewick – 1902 “I desire to urge upon all those to whom these words may come, the duty, alike of individual watchfulness and of united effort, to resist everywhere and always the statutory subjection of science and education to propaganda.”
In 1902, a certain professor Sedgewick described how ‘the century just closed’ had witnessed a noteworthy liberation of education and science from ‘dogma’. More and more, teaching was casting off its chains and freeing itself from the subjection of theology. However, Sedgewick observed that, rather than a total liberation, a new power came into force that threatened science and education with subjection. As the church had declined in temporal power, the state had become supreme.
The main question this workshop takes up is the following: Would it be reasonable to state that education throughout history has always been, at least for some part, a propaganda system to be manipulated for dogmatic, social, military or political purposes?
(to be updated: more texts will be added in the near future)
