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Historical reenactment

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Reenactors of the American Civil War Historical reenactment is an activity in which participants recreate some aspects of a historical event or period. It may be a narrowly-defined time period, such as a specific war or other event, or it may be more broadly defined.

Activities related to "reenactment" are not new. Tournaments in the Middle Ages had Roman or other earlier themes (while the Romans themselves staged recreations of famous land and sea battles within their Coliseums as a form of public spectacle), and the Victorians recreated medieval furnishings such as tapestries. However, historical reenactment in pursuit of practical historical interest, beyond merely re-inventing history as an entertainment to suit contemporary convenience or sensibilities, seems to be an invention of the 20th century.

The term living history describes attempts to bring history to life, either for an audience or for the participants themselves. The primary distinction between reenactment and a period dramatic performance is the degree of immersion and the amount of improvisation. Historical reenactment can be considered a form of live-action role-playing.

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[edit] Reenactment groups

Main article: comparison of historical reenactment groups

Most groups dedicated to reenactment are amateurs who pursue reenactment as a hobby. Increasingly, there are a number of enthusiasts who have made it their goal to be as authentic as possible.

[edit] Period

The period of an event is the range of dates . See authenticity (reenactment) for a discussion of how the period affects the types of costume, weapons, and armour used.

Popular periods to reenact include:

Image:Roman soldiers with aquilifer signifer centurio 70 aC.jpg

[edit] Props and costume

Image:Buckskins.JPG

Small cottage industries abound that provide not only the materials but even the finished product for use by these ultra authentic re-enactors. Uniforms made of hand woven, natural dyed materials are hand-sewn using the sartorial techniques of the period portrayed. The same can be said of headgear, footwear, camp gear, accoutrements, weapons and so on. These items, while costing sometimes 30% more than their mass produced counterparts, offer the wearer an actual life like experience in the use of these materials. Also, it is hoped that spectators will have a better experience when attending an event in which a high level of accuracy is attained.

[edit] Roleplay and acting

Some individual reenactors concentrate on recreating a specific persona, such as Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, or Benjamin Franklin. More generally, a roleplayer in reenactment is someone who develops their historical persona as a character, many of which are normal people rather than royalty or military leaders.

[edit] Experimental archaeology

Experimental archaeology is an important part of many authentic living history events, where crafts and techniques are evaluated to see whether they make sense in the appropriate historical setting. For example, various combinations of armour can be tried to see if an item for which no historical evidence exists is actually easy to make with the tools available and practical to use in the battles of the time.

[edit] Events

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Main article: list of historical reenactment events

[edit] Permanent events

There are a number of locations which have set up a permanent authentic displays:

[edit] Creative history, and fantasy events

Image:Jousting Knights.jpg Although some historical reenactment groups follow a very loose interpretation of history (sometimes mixing equipment from closely related periods or often just the use of inauthentic materials: eg. cotton clothes in a medieval setting) some groups go a step further and mix historical elements with elements of the Fantasy genre or incorporate modern technology or culture into a historical setting (often simply reducing the level of authenticity for increased safety or reduced costs, eg. making melee weapons out of rubber or plastic rather than iron or steel).

A common example for this variation on the theme is the Society for Creative Anachronism and Renaissance Faires, which blend medievalish customs, dress, and activities within historically inspired fantasy kingdoms.

However many Renaissance Faires have begun to rein in the fantasy elements and have a more historical feel.

[edit] Commercial reenactment

Many castles, museums, and other historical tourist attractions employ actors or professional reenactors as part of the experience. These usually address the recreation of a specific town, village, or activity within a certain time frame. Commercial reenactment shows are usually choreographed and follow a script.

See also: list of tourist attractions providing reenactment

[edit] Publications

Over the years, there have been a number of publications devoted to covering the subjects of historical reenactment and its close cousin, living history. These have included the Camp Chase Gazette and, at various times, two different magazines named Living History (the most recent of which last appeared in 1997 and was published by Great Oak Inc. and edited by history author Michael J. Varhola).

Another popular book is The Medieval Soldier by Gerry Embleton and John Howe, 1995. It has been translated to French and German. It was later followed by Medieval Military Costume in Colour Photographs.

[edit] Media Support

Motion picture and television producers often turn to re-enactment groups for support; films like Gettysburg and Glory benefited greatly from the input of reenactors, who arrived on set fully equipped and steeped in knowledge of military procedures, camp life, and tactics.<ref>Details may be found in the "making of" featurettes on the DVD versions of both films.</ref>

[edit] Criticism

Reenactors are sometimes looked on with suspicion, particularly by military veterans, but also by elements of the general public. Common criticisms revolve around motivation, as well as concerns about the level of immersion found in some arenas, notably those involving 20th Century conflicts where combatants had stricter regulations regarding personal grooming.<ref>Thompson, Jenny. Wargames: Inside the World of 20th Century Reenactors (Smithsonian Books, Washington, 2004). ISBN 1-58834-128-3 </ref> Another commonly voiced criticism is that many reenactors are more corpulent than actual soldiers in the period they are portraying. <ref>Website highlighting 'fat reenactors'</ref> The average age of reenactors is also generally far higher than the average age of soldiers in most conflicts. Few reenactment units discriminate, however, based on age and physical condition.<ref>Thompson, op.cit.</ref> A final concern mentioned by Thompson's book is the "fantasy farb", or tendency of reenactors to gravitate towards "elite" units such as commandos, paratroopers, or Waffen-SS units resulting in an under-representation in the re-enactment community of what were the most common types of military troops in the period being re-enacted.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

General
Ancient
Roman
Medieval
18th Century
19th Century
20th Century

[edit] References

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