The official conference proceedings can be found here. Please note that the presentation was delivered at the time of Spectre's imminent release in several countries (in November) and is phrased accordingly.
Please find the abstract below:
Socio-political influence on the ideologies of Daniel Craig's Bond films: The power that lies within.
James Bond is arguably one of the widest-reaching, longest-standing and most
influential film franchises of our time. In this sense it can also be seen as a source of
great power, a medium by which certain ideologies can be conveyed to many people.
When it comes to deciphering these ideologies and their origins, much as been written
about the influence of the Cold War on the ideas and themes contained within the
earlier Bond films. However, the socio-political backdrop for the Daniel Craig era
has been rather different so how might this have effected its ideologies? Craig’s films
are interesting to look at in this regard as they have been particularly sensitive to
socio-political shifts even within the actor’s tenure. It can be argued that contextual
factors such as the Anglo-American War on Terror and the London 2012 Olympics
have contributed to a shift in the representation of Bond’s national identity between
Casino Royale and Skyfall and, most recently, Spectre represents another set of values
and ideas that can be linked with the relinquished interest in Britain post-Olympics,
and growing fears surrounding ISIS and public surveillance. This paper attempts to
map some of the ideas and themes conveyed in Craig’s Bond films to possible
influences from their socio-political contexts, with a particular concentration on
Skyfall and Spectre.
