Last Thursday saw the History Journal's first launch event of the academic year. We spent an evening celebrating the theme of our 9th edition, Art & Power, by having a headline act of Dr Joanna Cohen exploring the significance of photography in nineteenth century America. This was followed by our journal contributors, delivering an array of diverse discussions by relating the theme at hand to a variety of time periods and regions.
Couldn't make the event? No problem. This post will provide a breakdown of the insightful arguments made by our speakers, while also informing you of the numerous opportunities available with the Journal.
Dr Joanna Cohen- Seeing Love, Death and Race: A Brief History of Vision in Nineteenth Century America
The evening began with our main event, a talk by Queen Mary's very own Dr Joanna Cohen, during which she thoughtfully linked the theme of Art & Power to her specialism, 19th Century America. The result was an hour of mesmerising case studies revealing the powerful role of photography in American society.
She highlighted the several ways in which the camera was used to create dispute amongst the population. For instance, William Mumler's 'spirit photography' during the 1860s was used by many as a way to connect with their deceased loved ones, one last time. Although, the popularity of his methods, during a period concentrating on scientific innovation, received mass criticism and even a large court case. Additionally, photos were used by anti-slavery movements, using pictures of innocent looking white-skinned children sold into slavery, all in order to receive sympathy and support from the public.
Emily Moore- Japanese Nationalism: Transgressive Sexuality in Ōshima’s controversial In the Realm of the Senses
After a quick break, our second speaker was Emily, a third year History student specialising in film history, but particularly that of Japan, of which her talk encompassed. Based on her essay, she delivered an in depth analysis of the relationship between Japanese nationalism and the erotic body in postwar Japanese cinema, as depicted through the Sada Abe murder case. This was specifically highlighted in the film In the Realm of the Senses. She also outlined how this has been discussed in the historical community and where the film sits in Japan's cultural climate.
Charlie Spragg- What insight does royal portraiture give us into early modern politics?
Thirdly, we had Charlie, also a third year History student, specialising in art during the Early Modern period. Her talk provided an evaluation of the ways portraits were used by monarchs, including Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and James I, to respond to political concerns. A close examination of each portrait revealed the rulers' motivations and their desired impacts for the art. Furthermore, a comparison between the three paintings emphasises how certain issues persisted throughout the era, such as the matter of legitimising their position and also how things differed with Elizabeth I as a result of her gender.
Avin Houro- How was visual art used to reflect and support the utopian thinking of the Stalinist regime?
Our last speaker of the night was me (Avin), a second year History student. I spoke about an essay I wrote during my first year, based around Stalin's USSR and delved into the ways in which art was used as propaganda by looking at three paintings which have ideologically motivated messages. The art I chose to focus on surrounded three aspects of Stalin's rule that were key during his leadership: industrialisation, collectivisation and his cult of personality. I also revealed that the three pieces of art could also be used as a lens to disclose the true conditions of life under Stalin's regime, while contesting historiography which refuted the requirement of having historical context when analysing paintings.
Opportunities with the Journal- Blog and Design Team
The History Journal currently has several vacancies. This includes joining the Blogs Team and becoming a regular contributor to the blog (a description of which can be found here https://qmhistoryjournal.wixsite.com/qmhj/post/welcome-to-the-queen-mary-history-journal-blog). We are also looking for students to join the Design Team, where you will be designing posters and helping with the style of the Journal's physical copy.
If you would like to join us in celebrating History through writing and designing, fill out the form below.
We hope to see you at future events.
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