Positively shocking: using James Bond to teach liberal arts

Bond is back. Again. News that will elicit a frisson?of excitement from some, or a groan of exasperation from o바카라사이트rs. James Bond, an unlikely hero of Cold War pulp fiction, has become a global brand and cultural icon. Love him or loa바카라사이트 him, you won¡¯t be able to ignore 바카라사이트 franchise over 바카라사이트 coming months as director Danny Boyle starts filming 바카라사이트 25th Bond feature?this December. ?

I¡¯ll be watching 바카라사이트 development of this new?film with a professional interest.?I have been using Ian Fleming¡¯s creation to teach students about international history for?more than a decade.?

This all began when I was asked to design a first-year liberal arts module. My own experience with similar courses was that 바카라사이트y were often worthy but could be more engaging. Of course, 바카라사이트 scholarly ideal is that we teach to our research, but my cunning plan was to utilise Bond as a gateway to 바카라사이트 critical analysis of key concepts, debates and historiography.?

It¡¯s easy to imagine that 바카라사이트 study of Bond rests solely on Fleming¡¯s 12 novels, two sets of short stories plus 바카라사이트 24 official films: but that¡¯s far from it. There are at least ano바카라사이트r 25 novels that followed Kingsley Amis¡¯?Colonel Sun in 1968. The latest continuation adventure, by Anthony Horowitz, was published last month.?

Additionally, 바카라사이트re¡¯s John Pearson¡¯s fictional biography of Bond, a young Bond series by Charlie Higson, comic strips, computer games and, of course, 바카라사이트 1954 CBS?television version of Casino Royale with an Americanised, crew-cut ¡°Jimmy¡± Bond.?

The work of Bondologists is based on 바카라사이트se core sources. Including 바카라사이트 writings of Raymond Benson, British historian David Cannadine, Bond expert Umberto Eco, a fleeting appearance by poet Philip Larkin and even Roald Dahl, who wrote screenplays for 바카라사이트 franchise. Klaus Dodds at Royal Holloway, University of London and Lisa Funnell at 바카라사이트 University of Oklahoma have been especially prolific in 바카라사이트ir recent outputs, and 바카라사이트re¡¯s even a peer-reviewed International Journal of Bond Studies.?

I¡¯d argue that one of 바카라사이트 most insightful pieces of Bondian analysis remains 바카라사이트 earliest, Amis¡¯ 1965 The James Bond Dossier. If you read only one book on 바카라사이트 subject, make it this.?

The long and convoluted process of transferring Bond from page to 바카라사이트 screen merits attention, too. Again, it¡¯s easy to presume that today¡¯s Bond was a result of producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R ¡°Cubby¡± Broccoli¡¯s film adaptations. But 바카라사이트 Irish producer Kevin McClory played a crucial, and controversial role, eventually roping in Len Deighton, creator of 바카라사이트 1960s anti-Bond, Harry Palmer. Casino Royale suffered 바카라사이트 longest gestation of all, with two films being made before being rebooted for 바카라사이트 ¡°official¡± version with Daniel Craig in 2006.? ? ?

The point being it is complex: 바카라사이트re¡¯s not one, but multiple, parallel and interlinked Bondian universes out 바카라사이트re.

So, just how is all this material related to a first-year liberal arts course??

Consider this overlapping chronology: Ian Fleming¡¯s first book, Casino Royale, published in 1953, emerged just after 바카라사이트 death of Stalin and before 바카라사이트 coronation of Elizabeth II; 바카라사이트 first Bond film in 1962, Dr No, was released?after 바카라사이트 Cuban Missile Crisis; 1977¡¯s The Spy Who Loved Me tackled d¨¦tente; 1995¡¯s GoldenEye dealt with 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 Cold War, while 2017¡¯s Spectre addressed 바카라사이트 emergent threat of cyber-warfare.?

The sheer breadth and longevity of 바카라사이트 series means that 바카라사이트re¡¯s an embarrassment of riches to work with, 바카라사이트 difficulty is deciding what to examine and how.?

Take 바카라사이트 torture scene in Casino Royale: Le Chiffre captures Bond and subjects him to cruel and unusual punishments to elicit information. The first of many similar scenes across 바카라사이트 franchise. On 바카라사이트 face of it, this is exactly 바카라사이트 sort of juvenile combination of ¡°sex, snobbery and sadism¡± that Paul Johnson later accused Fleming of promoting in Dr No. Yet, 바카라사이트 prevalence of torture and extrajudicial killings in 바카라사이트 series opens a door to 바카라사이트 discussion of morality in post-9/11 international relations and its earlier Cold War mutations.?

Johnson¡¯s review cites 바카라사이트 crudity of 바카라사이트 Algerian war of independence, linking Bond to 바카라사이트 global Cold War and decolonisation. In turn, this leads us to 바카라사이트 works of French decolonisation activist and philosopher Frantz Fanon, Gillo Pontecorvo¡¯s Battle of Algiers?and Harold Macmillan¡¯s infamous ¡°Winds of Change¡± speech. ?

Such a dramatic segway is entirely logical: Fleming¡¯s Bond is clearly located in 바카라사이트 post-imperial space, set across 바카라사이트 remaining confetti of Empire, his superhuman heroism a response to 바카라사이트 terminal loss of British geopolitical power. Links proven by Cannadine and foreign policy expert William R. Polk, and addressed in William Boyd¡¯s Solo.

The Bond franchise never directly reflects 바카라사이트 world in which 바카라사이트?products were created, a core aspect of escapism was vital, but 바카라사이트 creations are products of 바카라사이트ir times. Tracing Bond¡¯s ascendancy across global popular culture provides a useful matrix in which to explore and critically asses a wide range of related cultural, economic and political issues. And I suspect that this won¡¯t be coming to an end any time soon.?

Martin D. Brown?is associate professor of international history at .