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.


Miniature of From Shadow to Spotlight:  Minoritarian Characters, Representative Failures,  and High School Powerarchy in Teen Television
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.


      Miniature of “Unstuck in Time and Space”: Time Travels in Teen Cinema
      “Unstuck in Time and Space”: Time Travels in Teen Cinema
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          Date: 2021-01-01

          Creator: Hallowell Lyne

          Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community



            Miniature of Possessing Her: Embodying Identity in Exorcism Cinema
            Possessing Her: Embodying Identity in Exorcism Cinema
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                Date: 2021-01-01

                Creator: Alicia Echavarria

                Access: Access restricted to the Bowdoin Community



                  Miniature of Adapting Greek Heroines: Penelope and Medea
                  Adapting Greek Heroines: Penelope and Medea
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                      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