Showing 1 - 7 of 7 Items
Playing the Fool: Analyzing the Phenomena of Iurodstvo In Contemporary Russian Cinema and Civil Society.
Date: 2023-01-01
Creator: Colby Silva Santana
Access: Open access
- Of Russia's cultural and religious icons, the holy fool (iurodivy) is quite possibly the most significant one of contemporary times. The holy fool – a historical and cultural character that feigns insanity to produce moral and spiritual reflections and hide the purity of their souls – has left its traces over a significant portion of Russia's literary history, postmodern tradition, and socio-political thought. In its uniquely positioned role as a powerful form of institutional critique, today taking shape in modern-day political protest performance culture, the holy fool has often been utilized to interrogate the intertwined relationship of the Russian state and the Orthodox Church. This analysis reviews the scholarship on holy foolery and how it has manifested in various fields of study. Although scholarship on this subject is significant, there exists a lack of research into representation of the holy fool in contemporary Russian cinema. Cinema is uniquely positioned to portray holy foolery, thanks to the unique form of spectatorship the film camera allows. This thesis analyzes several case studies of 21st-century Russian cinema that feature characters representing qualities of iurodstvo and its related models. In doing so, this work traces the history and development of iurodstvo through the lens of cinema and suggests new ways of understanding holy foolery's manifestation as a political tool.

From Shadow to Spotlight: Minoritarian Characters, Representative Failures, and High School Powerarchy in Teen Television This record is embargoed.
- Embargo End Date: 2028-05-18
Date: 2023-01-01
Creator: Paloma Ada Aguirre
Access: Embargoed
“I Never Saw as Good a Nature Show Before”: Walt Disney, Environmental Education, and the True-Life Adventures
Date: 2022-01-01
Creator: Charles Dorn
Access: Open access
- Alongside Walt Disney’s animated movies, television programming, and theme parks, scholars have examined The Walt Disney Studios’ True-Life Adventures series of live-action nature documentary films for their impact on popular culture. Historians, however, have mostly overlooked the significance of the True-Life Adventures for student learning about the natural world. Amending this historiographical shortcoming, this essay examines Disney’s innovative approach to wildlife filmmaking, describes viewers’ reactions to the True-Life Adventures’ educational qualities, and investigates the Studios’ efforts to use the films to enter the education market. The study breaks new ground by analyzing seldom accessed documents preserved in theWalt Disney Archives both to reveal how students, teachers, and college and university faculty responded to the films and to examine the extension of the nature documentaries through related media.

“Unstuck in Time and Space”: Time Travels in Teen Cinema Access to this record is restricted to members of the Bowdoin community. Log in here to view.
Date: 2021-01-01
Creator: Hallowell Lyne
Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Possessing Her: Embodying Identity in Exorcism Cinema Access to this record is restricted to members of the Bowdoin community. Log in here to view.
Date: 2021-01-01
Creator: Alicia Echavarria
Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community

Adapting Greek Heroines: Penelope and Medea Access to this record is restricted to members of the Bowdoin community. Log in here to view.
Date: 2020-01-01
Creator: Ishani Agarwal
Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community
Superhero Ecologies: An Environmental Reading of Contemporary Superhero Cinema
Date: 2019-05-01
Creator: Andrew McGowan
Access: Open access