ABSTRACT
The recreated battle is the iconic form of reenactment. Indeed, the popular interest in and growth of the broader phenomenon of reenactment has largely revolved around the battle—the spectacular confrontation of quasi-historical armies comprised of devoted hobby historians performing for an audience. Even in cases when the grand battle itself is not actually dramatized, an interest in war history and warfare is very often a main motivation for reenactors—for instance, among World War II living historians who concentrate on the daily life in camp or the maintenance of historical vehicles. Given this, it is perhaps unsurprising that a set of martial, gendered (male-dominated), and patriotic ideals and values saturate many hobby reenactment milieus, implicitly or explicitly (Turner, 1988; West, 2014). The widespread fascination with reenacted war reflects broader trends and conceptions of history and testifies to the general mass appeal of wars, which many understand as (the) pivotal events of the past. In certain popular-cultural contexts—for instance, magazines or TV channels devoted to historical themes—the very notion of history often implies war history. This is paralleled in the heritage sector, for instance in European museums and sites connected with World War I and World War II, where the rendering and commemoration of armed conflict and its consequences remain central.
