Rethinking the Cinematic Cold War - (Visual and Media Cultures of the Cold War and Beyond) by Stefano Pisu & Francesco Pitassio & Maurizio Zinni

About the Book

"Historical consensus increasingly views the Cold War period as a multifaceted conflict which extended beyond the borders of the USSR and USA, encompassing both cultural and diplomatic history. Debate remains, however, about how best to balance the Cold War as a cultural event with the existence of Cold War culture. Rethinking the Cinematic Cold War provides a fresh reassessment of this period, highlighting how the convergence of geopolitical interests, cultural production and exchange, and technological and media history shaped a unique epoch. Consequently, this volume seeks to diagnose the role cinema played in expanding the ideological outlook of artists, audiences, and policymakers"--

Book Synopsis

Historical consensus increasingly views the Cold War period as a multifaceted conflict which extended beyond the borders of the USSR and USA, encompassing both cultural and diplomatic history. Debate remains, however, about how best to balance the Cold War as a cultural event with the existence of Cold War culture. Rethinking the Cinematic Cold War provides a fresh reassessment of this period, highlighting how the convergence of geopolitical interests, cultural production and exchange, and technological and media history shaped a unique epoch. Consequently, this volume seeks to diagnose the role cinema played in expanding the ideological outlook of artists, audiences, and policymakers.

About the Author

Maurizio Zinni is Associate Professor of Contemporary History at Sapienza University in Rome. A member of the editorial board of Mondo contemporaneo and Cinema e storia, his research primarily focuses on modern icons as sources for contemporary history and on the role of the media as agents of history in the construction of modern identity. His writings include Fascisti di celluloide (Marsilio, 2010), which was the winner of the SISSCO First Work award, and Visioni d'Africa(Donzelli, 2023).