In Robert Rosenstone’s words, ”history (as we practice it) is an ideological and cultural product of the Western World at a particular time in its development”. Documentary films are in this respect not different from fiction: both cooperate in the creation of history as performative discourse, thereby giving symbolic meaning to the world. In the case of WWII the historical events are often framed in a way that tells us more about the world today than that of yesterday, using spectacle and mythical concepts as ways of engaging the audience emotionally. The highlighting of heroism, patriotism and militarism is mixed with an encouraged identification with victims.

As part of a postdoc project I examine Western tv documentaries on WWII in North Africa. What frames are used in the representations? Considering that the ”Good” Allies largely consisted of the region’s colonial powers, how are issues of (post)colonialism and orientalism being represented?