Conflict Resolution and the Cold War : Media Encounters across the Iron Curtain

While existing publications on the Cold War tend to characterise this period exclusively in terms of conflict or on the basis of irreconcilable ideological differences, this book – through a number of fascinating international case studies – shows that there were also many media-related examples of attempts for reconciliation on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Scholars of media history, more often than not, have looked at the role of media in times of conflict, war, crises, social and political upheaval. Yet, media such as film, radio and television have also played a decisive role in processes of conflict resolution. As such, media in one way or another affected nation building processes, the fight for civil rights, equality, the reconciliation of former enemies, the democratisation of totalitarian states and peacekeeping missions around the world. This was also true during the Cold War which could be considered the longest-simmering conflict of the 20th century with far-reaching consequences that could be felt to this day.

Arguing that cultural politics were a vital part of the Cold War experience, Conflict Resolution and the Cold War: Media Encounters across the Iron Curtain brings together international scholars with expertise in different media to take a closer look at this often-overlooked role media played in conflict resolution and initiatives for reconciliation. Owing to the very few, if any, opportunities to meet people from the other side of the political divide in person, media often provided an important sphere where the East and the West could learn from one another. Examples include BBC broadcasts, films such as The Charterhouse of Parma (1948), television networks, television programs such as Doctor Who, and Danish journalists returning from exile in London and Stockholm, among others.