Excavating Indiana Jones: Essays on the Films and Franchise

by Randy Laist (Editor)

Overview

With his signature bullwhip and fedora, the rousing sounds of his orchestral anthem, and his eventful explorations into the arcana of world religions, Indiana Jones—archeologist, adventurer, and ophidiophobe—has become one of the most recognizable heroes of the big screen. Since his debut in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones has gone on to anchor several sequels, and a fifth film is currently in development. At the same time, the character has spilled out into multiple multimedia manifestations and has become a familiar icon within the collective cultural imagination.

Despite the longevity and popularity of the Indiana Jones franchise, however, it has rarely been the focus of sustained criticism. In Excavating Indiana Jones, a collection of international scholars analyzes Indiana Jones tales from a variety of perspectives, examining the films' representation of history, cultural politics, and identity, and also tracing the adaptation of the franchise into comic books, video games, and theme park attractions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476676920
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	04/16/2020
Pages:	218
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.44(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Randy Laist is a professor of English at Goodwin University and the University of Bridgeport. He has authored and edited several books on literature, popular culture, and pedagogy. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.

Table of Contents

Introduction Randy Laist 1

History

Situating Indy: American Archaeologists, Global Ambitions and the Interwar Years Andrew W. Bell 13

Fordian Knots: Indiana Jones and the Cinema of John Ford Brian Brems 25

"You call this archaeology?" Indiana Jones and Hollywood's View on the Nature of History Ryan Staude 38

Cultural Politics

Translocations, Cultural Geography and Anthropological Imperialism in Raiders of the Lost Ark Tatiana Prorokova 51

"I said no camels!" Indiana Jones and the Catalogue of Orientalism Mat Hardy 64

The Temple of Orientalism Debaditya Mukhopadhyay 76

The Quest for "Alien" Indigenous Knowledge in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Kasey Jones-Matrona 87

Identity

Indiana Jones and the Crusade for Authenticity Siobhan Lyons 103

"I came to find my father": Indiana Jones and the Quest for the Lost Father Linda Wight 114

Indiana Jones as Educated Swashbuckler Jennifer Crumley 126

"It belongs in a museum," or Does It? Indiana Jones, Artifactology and the Afterlives of Objects Kerry Dodd 136

Extended Franchise

Raiders of the Lost Longbox: Rediscovering The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones Joseph S. Walker 151

The Shadow of the Archaeologist: Archetypes of Evil in Marvel's The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones Brian A. Dixon 164

"We'll always have Iceland, Indy": Indiana Jones and His Adventures in Video Games Carl Wilson 178

Indiana Jones and the Theme Park Adventure Sabrina Mittermeier 192

About the Contributors 203

Index 207

Editorial Reviews

As befits a franchise whose protagonist is a scholar, Excavating Indiana Jones: Essays on the Film and Franchise pays close attention to the sources, craft, and afterlives of this famous archaeologist. While the essays come from a place of general appreciation, they are admirably critical in their engagement with many crucial aspects of the films, comics, video games, and theme park rides focused on Jones. In particular, this collection builds on extant critiques of the franchise's colonialism, muddled sense of history, and Spielbergian hang-up on father figures while delving into new explorations of things like the transmedia legacies of the brand and its indebtedness to real-life adventurers and filmmakers, such as John Ford. The book does not belong in a museum so much as it belongs in a library!”—Kevin M. Flanagan, George Mason University

From the Publisher