Jolyon Mitchell
University of Edinburgh, IASH, Faculty Member
- Professor of Communications, Arts and Religion at the University of Edinburgh. President, TRS UK (UK's national asso... moreProfessor of Communications, Arts and Religion at the University of Edinburgh.
President, TRS UK (UK's national association for Theology and Religious Studies)
Acting Director of Institute of Advanced Studies for the Humanities (IASH)
Director of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues (CTPI)edit
Research Interests: Religion, Media Studies, New Media, Peace and Conflict Studies, Film Studies, and 17 moreTerrorism, Violence, Media Literacy, Apartheid, Mozambique, Media, First World War, Iran, Peace, Peacebuilding, Forgiveness, South Africa, Forgiveness and Reconciliation, Rwandan Genocide, Peace & Reconciliation, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, and Arms Into Art
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I recently began a film and religion class by asking the participants what their favorite movie was. I was genuinely surprised when several, out of about fifty students, put Shooting Dogs (directed by Michael Caton-Jones, 2005) at the top... more
I recently began a film and religion class by asking the participants what their favorite movie was. I was genuinely surprised when several, out of about fifty students, put Shooting Dogs (directed by Michael Caton-Jones, 2005) at the top of their list. I was intrigued to find out ...
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In this chapter we analyze how foreign correspondents bear witness to violence and suffering. For the frontline journalist this suffering is often close, all too easy to see, to hear, and to smell. By contrast for the Western viewer or... more
In this chapter we analyze how foreign correspondents bear witness to violence and suffering. For the frontline journalist this suffering is often close, all too easy to see, to hear, and to smell. By contrast for the Western viewer or reader this suffering can often be distant, ...
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The focus of this article is on the interaction between television, religion and everyday practices of the Marthoma Christians in Kerala, South India. At the heart of this essay is an investigation of why television has been welcomed into... more
The focus of this article is on the interaction between television, religion and everyday practices of the Marthoma Christians in Kerala, South India. At the heart of this essay is an investigation of why television has been welcomed into Marthomite homes and how television viewing influences the domestic and religious practices of Marthoma families. For the Marthomites, the family is an important cradle of faith, where beliefs and religious practices are cultivated and sustained. Most of the Marthoma families interviewed accommodate television viewing into their beliefs and domestic religious practices, with some ease. In a multi-religious society religious programmes appear to amplify religious identity. While the first section offers a personal introduction and a brief outline of the research methodology employed, the second examines why cinema has been shunned among Marthomites while television has been welcomed. In the third section, the way in which television has impacted upon domestic space, domestic time and religious practices is considered. The conclusion outlines some possible ways in which Marthoma Christians in Kerala can respond to the changing faces of television in Southern India.
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At the heart of this article is an analysis of two documentary films that focus on the topic of forgiveness, one in Rwanda, in the wake of the 1994 genocide, and the other in northern Uganda, following the ravages of the Lord's... more
At the heart of this article is an analysis of two documentary films that focus on the topic of forgiveness, one in Rwanda, in the wake of the 1994 genocide, and the other in northern Uganda, following the ravages of the Lord's Resistance Army. This essay includes a description of the production background of both films, a brief outline of the historical context in which they are set, and a more detailed examination of both documentaries. Special focus is placed upon how these films reflect the way in which local traditions are used in the aftermath of violence in an attempt to bring about reconciliation. Through this discussion the observation is made that while neither film actually shows the local Gacaca gathering in Rwanda nor the Mato Oput rituals in Uganda at work, the films do draw these practices into a larger narrative about forgiveness. These traditions of ritualised forgiveness and local justice pre-date the arrival of Christianity in central East Africa. In this cont...
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At 3.15 pm he threw his small white Jack Russell to its death. He then threw himself off the bridge onto the station below. He was rushed to the Western General Hospital, where he spent the night in intensive care. On the following day... more
At 3.15 pm he threw his small white Jack Russell to its death. He then threw himself off the bridge onto the station below. He was rushed to the Western General Hospital, where he spent the night in intensive care. On the following day the Edinburgh Evening News' main ...
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... This film, directed by Kamal Tabrizi, is about a small-time thief who escapes prison dressed as a Mullah, only to find himself ... about the renaissance of Iranian cinema, found expressed through the work of directors such as Abbas... more
... This film, directed by Kamal Tabrizi, is about a small-time thief who escapes prison dressed as a Mullah, only to find himself ... about the renaissance of Iranian cinema, found expressed through the work of directors such as Abbas Kiarostami, Majid Majidi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf ...
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... ИНФОРМАЦИЯ О ПУБЛИКАЦИИ. Название публикации, ON MEDIA, RELIGION, AND POPULAR CULTURE. Авторы, Jolyon Mitchell. Журнал, Journal of Communication. Издательство, Proquest Academic Research Library. Год выпуска, 2000, ISSN, 0021-9916. ...
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... Block's journey in The Seventh Seal resonates with Bergman's own experience: a search for a silent God in the face of both ... 48 The sequence builds to a crescendo: as Michael Corleone becomes a godfather in church, three... more
... Block's journey in The Seventh Seal resonates with Bergman's own experience: a search for a silent God in the face of both ... 48 The sequence builds to a crescendo: as Michael Corleone becomes a godfather in church, three other interlacing narratives accelerate toward their ...
... to those killed during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), which claimed as many as one million Iranian lives (Rajaee 1993: 206 ... Sites contrasts this description with Iran's friend Maryam... more
... to those killed during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), which claimed as many as one million Iranian lives (Rajaee 1993: 206 ... Sites contrasts this description with Iran's friend Maryam Tavaghai,'who has expressed misgivings about the war and the loss of her son, Hooshang ...
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... These include Stephen Gagan ' s Syriana (2005) set in the Middle East, Mark Forster ' s The Kite Runner (2007) set in Afghanistan, and ... Jacques Audiard, 2010), the lead charac-ter Malik El Djebena (Tahar... more
... These include Stephen Gagan ' s Syriana (2005) set in the Middle East, Mark Forster ' s The Kite Runner (2007) set in Afghanistan, and ... Jacques Audiard, 2010), the lead charac-ter Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is a Muslim, of Arab descent, who speaks both Corsican and ...
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‘Remembering wars’ discusses how war and religion mingle and shape one another and demonstrates how religion offers to meet the need for meaning in the overwhelming catastrophe of personal and national loss that war brings. There are... more
‘Remembering wars’ discusses how war and religion mingle and shape one another and demonstrates how religion offers to meet the need for meaning in the overwhelming catastrophe of personal and national loss that war brings. There are three interesting different situations in which religious resources have been brought to bear on the remembrance of war, and equally have been shaped by it. The first one is the depiction of martyrdom and martyrs in the commemoration of the Battle of Karbala. The second one is the use of the cross in Great War memorials, while the third one is the Ghost Dance movement
‘Mitigating the horrors of war’ situations in which religion, rather than motivating or assisting war, has sought to be a force making warfare less barbarous and catastrophic. Many religions have a distinctive ethical code with regard to... more
‘Mitigating the horrors of war’ situations in which religion, rather than motivating or assisting war, has sought to be a force making warfare less barbarous and catastrophic. Many religions have a distinctive ethical code with regard to war. The Western Christian tradition has developed a concept of ‘just war’, and the Islamic notion of jihad also places limits on war. But perhaps the oldest body of ideas and teachings on this topic arose on the Indian sub-continent. This thought receives a subtle treatment in the Mahabharata epic. The Mahabharata presents an understanding of the ethics of warfare in which compromise is unavoidable.
In this chapter Mitchell explores the ambiguities of building peace through the visual arts. He observes that ‘war and visual arts’ has a far-larger existing literature than the scholarship about representing peace visually, an... more
In this chapter Mitchell explores the ambiguities of building peace through the visual arts. He observes that ‘war and visual arts’ has a far-larger existing literature than the scholarship about representing peace visually, an observation that holds true for the arts more broadly. Discussing a number of well-known pieces of art by the likes of Paul Nash and Otto Dix, Kathe Kollwitz and Pablo Picasso, as well as less well-known work, Mitchell analyses the ways in which artists can bear witness to the costs of violent conflict and also, through their creations, extend the moral imagination, and thereby contribute to peacebuilding. As Mitchell suggests, no picture can wish away war, but it can raise questions about the wisdom and effects of conflict, alongside depicting the long and often difficult journey towards a sustainable peace. This is complemented by a consideration of how art can be used to express powerful emotions such as grief and anger, as well as develop imaginaries of peace. Through this chapter Mitchell argues that the visual arts can both represent and contribute to building peace.
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‘Questioning religion and war’ explains how each faith—particularly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—has a complex relationship to war and peace. It assesses whether or not religion in general does or does not tend to cause and intensify... more
‘Questioning religion and war’ explains how each faith—particularly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—has a complex relationship to war and peace. It assesses whether or not religion in general does or does not tend to cause and intensify war in general. Those who are hostile to religion often claim it is inherently warlike. Those who favour religion conclude that it is a force for peace or, where it is implicated in war, it has been misunderstood and warped. Those who think religion inspires both war and the pursuit of peace want to promote the latter and discourage the former. These views have something in common: the idea that war is bad.
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Through this paper, I will consider the roles that the humanities can play in interpreting and interacting with the arts. To investigate this topic, I will use several international examples. These are situated in Cannes, Edinburgh, and... more
Through this paper, I will consider the roles that the humanities can play in interpreting and interacting with the arts. To investigate this topic, I will use several international examples. These are situated in Cannes, Edinburgh, and London, though they directly connect with countries such as South Africa and Mozambique. The world's best known film festival (Cannes), and the world's largest theatre and arts festival (Edinburgh), alongside the world's first national public museum (the British Museum in London), provide the contexts in which my argument develops. In each of these spaces, one can be confronted by a myriad of human faces, presented publically in innumerable ways. Film posters, stand-up comedy adverts, and exhibition fliers commonly employ the human face to attract, to intrigue, and to entice audiences toward their spectacle. The humanities can both interact with and critically analyse these uses of faces. The human faces in these diverse and dynamic setti...
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Introduction 1. Contesting martyrdom 2. Thinking martyrdom 3. Remembering martyrdom 4. Romanticising martyrdom 5. Touching martyrdom 6. Reforming martyrdom 7. Politicizing martyrdom 8. Conclusion: The end of martyrdom
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... E-ISSN: 1750-0230 Print ISSN: 1354-9901. Guest Editorial: Peacemaking in the World of Film.Jolyon Mitchell. ... In contrast to other films about the Rwandan genocide, Shooting Dogs makes one of the central characters a white priest,... more
... E-ISSN: 1750-0230 Print ISSN: 1354-9901. Guest Editorial: Peacemaking in the World of Film.Jolyon Mitchell. ... In contrast to other films about the Rwandan genocide, Shooting Dogs makes one of the central characters a white priest, played by John Hurt. ...