This Roehampton University lecturer is on a mission to change the way we talk about James Bond
Launched at the beginning of 2017, The International Journal of James Bond Studies is the world’s first academical journal focused exclusively on the spy franchise.
It is estimated that half the world’s population has seen a James Bond film but, despite this, there is a distant lack of academia on the subject.
Founder and Editor, Dr Ian Kinane, explained: “Everybody seems to be familiar with James Bond, but I think most people have a view of it as middle brow, if not low brow culture,”
“But it’s the longest ever running franchise, it isn’t just some haphazard thing, it is speaking to something on a larger scale than just popular culture.
“What we are trying to do with the journal is focus on the critical merits of the films, and books, to highlight the ways in which bond has traced cultural history from the 20th century to the present day.”
Since Casino Royale, first published in 1953, Ian Flemming wrote 11 Bond novels and a further nine short stories. Since his death in 1964, many authors including John Gardner and Anthony Horowitz have written continuation novels.
In 1962 Eon Productions releases Dr No, the first ever James Bond film, starting one of the longest ever continually-running film series.
“The greatest thing about the journal is that we have no limits. We have people writing on the films, we have people writing about the books, we have people writing on migrant cultures and their representation in bond, we have people writing about the classic elements of Bond. There are so many issues that pertain to social contemporary thought.
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“It’s not just a place for fans to come and read another article, it’s a place that has been designed to engender debate about Bond’s place and its relevance in 21st century Britain and the globe.”
Although James Bond films, especially those with Roger Moore and Peirce Brosnan in the lead role, gained a reputation for corny dialogue and cheesy storylines Dr Kinane insists that it can, and has, been a vehicle for introducing complex issues to a popular audience.
“There’s this idea that Bond is just an innocent romp, but the reason it has been so successful in regenerating itself is because of its ability to absorb geopolitical issues like surveillance, the oil crisis, or the media.”
“One article written by two colleges from Indiana discusses the politics of surveillances within Bond films, especially in the Danial Craig films, and how they illustrate the way our icons of popular culture has become suffused with our ideas of surveillance and the constant thought of ‘who’s watching’
“There’s this idea that Bond is just an innocent romp, but the reason it has been so successful in regenerating itself is because of its ability to absorb geopolitical issues like surveillances, the oil crisis, or the media.
“The comedy of something like the Roger Moore films was a great way to obfuscate some the of the politics surrounding British imperialism in the 70’s and some of the social economic hardships of the 70’s and 80's.”
Dr Kinane, who is also a Lecturer in English Literature at Roehampton University, first fell in love with the franchise, aged 12, watching Goldeneye at a friends’ house.
“I saw Golden Eye at my friends’ house when his parents were out, and of course enjoyed all those titillating elements, that every loves and hates about Bond.
“Even from a young age, as a scrawny 12-year-old, I found the idea of this immutable masculinity that Bond represents both intimidating and impossible to live up to. As a child, I was more interested in books and theatre so Bond stuck out as the really hetero normative thing.”
Despite falling first for the older films, Dr Kinana says his interest in Bond has been re-engaged by the latest batch of Danial Craig films.
“As film as a medium has become more respected as an art form the inclusion of directors like Sam Mendes and cinematographers like Roger Deakins and Hoyte van Hoytema suggests that only are these films achieving commercial success but they are also aiming for more high quality.”
“Watching Casino Royale was the moments when I thought ‘they are trying to achieve something more ‘arty’ in the quality’ so it seems time to inject some rigour into the way Bond is discussed.”
However, along with this rigger come requirements to put aside personal biases and allow space for critical analysis of the franchise, which has always courted criticism for its depiction of women.
“It’s a difficult position because if you are a Bond fan, and then you develop a critical rigour you have to put that fandom aside.
“The reason that these films keep getting made is because issues like sexism and gender imbalances still pervade. So if these issues aren’t being engaged with maybe this is a place where we can have these discussions.”
“It’s the first journal of its type in the world to be focused on Bond scholarship. I’m proud that it’s the first of its type. We have a wonderful editorial board made up of scholars, bond documentarians and authors from across the world and we’ve already had such a huge interest it’s very gratifying.
“It’s going to be biannual- submissions are open on a rolling basis. Each article goes through a double blind peer review, and if it’s up to the standard it will be published. A lot of people know Bond or think they know Bond, but people may have their own interpretations and we want to shine a light on those.”
