October 18, 2012

UCSB Historian to Discuss Comic Books and the Cold War

One of the lesser-known propaganda battles of the Cold War was fought in the pages of comic books. Communist propagandists mined Dick Tracy and Superman funnies for evidence of America's degenerate values. However, the books proved so popular that federal agencies deployed them in Europe, Asia, and Africa in support of the United States' Cold War objectives.

In a talk titled "Why Are These Men Smiling? The Cold War in Comics," UC Santa Barbara historian Paul Hirsch will discuss the way American policymakers capitalized on the popularity of the comic book medium to win the hearts and minds of people around the world.

Sponsored by the UCSB History Associates, Hirsch's talk will take place on Tuesday, October 23, at 7 p.m. at Unity Church, 227 E. Arrellaga St., in Santa Barbara.

The cost is $10 for UCSB History Associates, and $12 for all others. Reservations can be made by calling (805) 893-4388, or by sending a check, made payable to the UCSB History Associates, to the Department of History, University of California, Santa Barbara CA 93106-9410.

A doctoral student whose area of expertise includes American comic books and foreign policy from 1940 to 1960, Hirsch is the recipient of numerous awards. Among them are an integrative graduate education and research traineeship from the National Science Foundation; a dissertation research award from the Borchard Foundation for European Studies; a graduate studies award from the Philip and Aida Siff Educational Foundation; and UCSB's Lawrence Badash Prize in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine.

For more information, visit www.ia.ucsb.edu/comrel/events.shtml.

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