Clare Church BA University of Waterloo, MA New York University

 Clare Church

Contact Details

Research

PhD Thesis Title: ‘The Symbol of a Wartime Songstress: An Exploration of the Women Behind the Second World War’s Most Iconic Songs.’

 

Scholars have often stated that the Second World War was fought as much with mass media as it was with conventional weapons. And while women were often the faces and voices of this mass media, their prominence in the historical narrative is nominal. This study seeks to redress the disparity by shining a light on the most celebrated female entertainers of the Second World War, with special attention devoted to Anna Marly, Joséphine Baker, Gracie Fields, Vera Lynn and Anne Shelton. This study integrates the overlapping fields of cultural history, music historiography, and collective memory. In so doing, this research comments on the capacity of music and entertainment to unite in wartime – and indeed the foundational role of women to this very endeavour.

Publications

Church, CV 2024, A Christmas to remember: Nostalgic constructions of the "Ideal" Christmas in Hallmark's holiday line-up. in C Lavigne (ed.), Critical Perspectives on the Hallmark Channel: Countdown to Romance. Routledge Advances in Popular Culture Studies, Taylor & Francis, pp. 30-41. 10.4324/9781003390473-4
Church, CV 2024, 'Gender in Modern Welsh History: Perspectives on Masculinity and Femininity in Wales from 1750 to 2000', Gender And History. 10.1111/1468-0424.12821
Church, CV 2024, '‘The Biggest Aspidistra in the World’: Employing concentrated song analysis to illuminate the morale-boosting role of musical comedy throughout the Phoney War (1939–40), UK', Media History. 10.1080/13688804.2024.2420058
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