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James Bond, Ian Fleming and intelligence : breaking down the boundary between the ‘real’ and the ‘imagined’
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McCrisken, Trevor and Moran, Christopher R. (2018) James Bond, Ian Fleming and intelligence : breaking down the boundary between the ‘real’ and the ‘imagined’. Intelligence and National Security, 33 (6). pp. 804-821. doi:10.1080/02684527.2018.1468648
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02684527.2018.1468648
Abstract
This article looks to answer the question of why the James Bond novels and films should matter to scholars of intelligence and national security. We argue that Bond is important because, rightly or wrongly, and not without inaccuracy, it has filled a public knowledge vacuum about intelligence agencies and security threats. On another level, this article explores the unexpected yet important interactions between Bond and the actual world of intelligence. We contend that the orthodoxy dictating that Bond and spying are diametric opposites—one is the stuff of fantasy, the other is reality—is problematic, for the worlds of Bond and real intelligence collide, overlap and intermesh in fascinating and significant ways. In short, Bond is important for scholars because he is an international cultural icon that continues to operate at the borders of fiction and reality, framing and constructing not only public perceptions but also to some degree intelligence practices. Core narratives of intelligence among not only the public but also policymakers and intelligence officers are imagined, sustained, deepened, produced and reproduced through and by Bond. We conclude that Bond and intelligence should be thought of as co-constitutive; the series shapes representations and perceptions of intelligence, but it also performs a productive role, influencing the behaviours of intelligence agencies themselves.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JA Political science (General) P Language and Literature > PS American literature U Military Science > U Military Science (General) |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Politics and International Studies | ||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Fleming, Ian, 1908-1964 -- Characters -- James Bond, Political science , Spies | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Intelligence and National Security | ||||||
| Publisher: | Routledge | ||||||
| ISSN: | 0268-4527 | ||||||
| Official Date: | 9 May 2018 | ||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 33 | ||||||
| Number: | 6 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 804-821 | ||||||
| DOI: | 10.1080/02684527.2018.1468648 | ||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
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