Built on a Lie: Propaganda, Pedagogy, and the Origins of the Kuleshov Effect
It is normally forgotten that the word “propaganda” derives from the Congregatio de propaganda fide, or the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, a committee of cardinals first convened by Pope Gregory XV in 1622 to take charge of foreign missions, and in existence—now operating under the moniker given it by Pope John Paul II, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples—to this day. Propaganda thus refers historically to education. This meaning has been largely lost to us, for whom “propaganda” tends to connote a purely (and tendentiously) rhetorical rather than pedagogical practice, even if, in some modern languages—Argentine Spanish, for instance—the word’s range of reference usefully extends beyond specifically political rhetoric to include commercial advertising.
1970s Experimental Films – British
The Girl Chewing Gum, John Smith (courtesy of the artist)
Berlin Horse, Malcolm Le Grice (courtesy of the artist)
2’45, William Raban (courtesy of the artist)
River Yar, William Raban and Chris Welsby (courtesy of William Raban and LUX, London)