By guest reviewer Peter Geyer.
"Those guys need therapy."
That is what writer Jenny Thompson was told by a panelist at an American Studies Association conference at which she reported on the phenomenon of 20th Century reenacting. As one of these "guys," such a comment hardly surprises me. When people ask why I reenact some of the worst conflicts in human history, somehow answering "because it's fun" seems inadequate. To be certain, collecting uniforms and equipment is an engaging hobby. So too are collecting historic weapons or restoring historic aircraft or vehicles. But what causes us to want to wear those uniforms, and use those historic weapons and vehicles in mock combat? What drives thousands of men and women from all different cultural, socio-economic and educational levels to want to pretend they are participants in wars where millions of innocents died, often while dressing as the perpetrators of many of history's greatest crimes?
These are the questions that Jenny Thompson asks in her new book War Games: Inside the World of 20th Century War Reenactors. Her answers to this question are both thought provoking and insightful.
When Thompson first met 20th Century war reenactors at a talk being given for World War I veterans in 1992, she found the whole concept rather bizarre at best, and somewhat unsavory at worst. At first glance, reenactors struck her as being simply people who never really advanced past emotional childhood. This is certainly the opinion also held by many of her academic colleagues. But after spending seven years attending World War I and World War II reenactments across the east coast, Thompson developed a much more complexly nuanced, and even affectionate attitude toward the reenactors that she met along the way.
Thompson ultimately comes to believe that, while reenactors proclaim publicly to be primarily interested in keeping alive the memory of the sacrifices of common soldiers, this is more a fig leaf designed to appeal to the world outside of the hobby. While a deep love of history helps to form intense bonds of friendship among reenactors, this too does not adequately explain the hobby for Thompson.
In the end, Thompson believes that reenactors seek to become owners of history. It is emotionally unfulfilling for reenactors to simply be outside observers of some of history's greatest moments. Even while creating "impressions" of "typical" people living during the periods represented, Thompson finds that most reenactors actually do little more than portray themselves in a different time and place. By creating their own replica of war in which they themselves are active participants, reenactors create an alternative reality in which they become a part of the history that so fascinates them.
Thompson certainly does not pull any punches. While she fully admits to having close personal friendships with many reenactors, and while she describes many times when she truly feels that she understands the appeal of reenacting on a base emotional level, Thompson does not sugar coat reenacting. She freely shows how reenactors can often be cruel to others who do not live up to what are often arbitrary authenticity standards, and how friendships can often be strained or lost because of "reenactor politics." But despite the negative aspects of the hobby that Thompson brings up, she still believes on balance that 20th Century war reenactors are doing something positive.
While War Games occasionally has the feel of a scientific experiment, what separates Thompson from other professional academics who have considered reenacting is the fact that she actually became an active participant. For Thompson, the reenactors she studies are not mere laboratory animals. They are rounded human beings with rich and complex reasons for pursuing their very unique hobby.
Speaking as a reenactor of both World War I and World War II, I found reading War Games a thought provoking and rewarding experience. Hopefully non-reenactors, and particularly the people who have traditionally shown hostility toward reenactors will find similar insights through this book.
This is Thompson's first book.
