Historical re-enacting and affective authority: performing the American Civil War

Abstract

Drawing on historical materials, manuals and semi-structured interviews, this paper examines the performative dimensions of American Civil War battle re-enacting. Unlike traditional leisure-based national rituals such as public holidays and days of remembrance, it is argued that the main political power of this re-enactment rite is not social integration of the group or selective portrayal of history but providing participants with certain moods and motivations that result in subsequent activism. This principally occurs through secondary performances where re-enactors voluntarily give talks and demonstrations at museums and schools where they propagate literal understandings of history and challenge the popular belief that the war was fought over slavery. While social theory has highlighted the role of leisure within new social movements, this has typically been orientated to political progressivism. In contrast, Civil War re-enacting provides insights into the significance of play for political orthodoxy.