ABSTRACT
Reenactments in their more formal aspect share with rituals a transformative potential arising not from the perfection of an imitation but from the exact and punctual performance of a sequence of actions and gestures as laid down by rule and precedent. Claims to authenticity underscore most reenactments—whether through the use of historically accurate techniques, materials, and performance practices or through technological means like CGI, which generates a heightened sense of realism and historical “completeness.” In other words, the dominion of imagination in historical reenactment is probably changing. In summary, reenactment is a broad set of practices and genres that tackles the questions of many disciplines. Establishing reenactment studies as an interdisciplinary transnational endeavor will bring a desirable rigor to the field and establish new benchmarks for valid and useful scholarship. To intervene meaningfully in the pressing social and political concerns, reenactment studies will need to acknowledge its own filter bubble.
