Martha Graham's Cold War
The Dance of American Diplomacy
Victoria Phillips
Reviews and Awards
"The strength of this superbly researched book lies in the voice it gives to the many diplomats, journalists, and cultural figures with first-hand knowledge of Martha Graham's four decades of cultural diplomacy. Grounded in interviews and primary documents, this is practitioner-oriented diplomatic history at its best." -- Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, George Washington University
"Meticulously researched and impassioned, Martha Graham's Cold War is essential reading for scholars of cultural diplomacy, the Cold War, and the history of dance." -- Laura A. Belmonte, Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Virginia Tech
"This fascinating study shows how Martha Graham wedded the art of modern dance to America's Cold War 'cultural offensive.' In a highly readable and well researched narrative, it contributes to scholarship on mid-century modernism, gender and race in Cold War politics, and the strategic and personal dilemmas presented by propaganda campaigns based on supposedly apolitical cultural messaging. Scholars and general readers alike will appreciate how Victoria Phillips focuses on the era's most innovative dancer to craft her rich history of the Cold War. Highly recommended!" -- Emily S. Rosenberg, co-editor of Body and Nation: The Global Realm of U.S. Body Politics in the Twentieth Century
"While the book focuses on a single performer, the analysis of Graham serves to brilliantly reveal some essential questions about the complexities, contradictions, and meaning of US cultural diplomacy during the Cold War." -- Diplomatica
"Martha Graham's Cold War is a book not to be missed." -- H-Diplo
"An ambitious...book that will interest history buffs and dance aficionados." -- Kirkus Reviews