Stefan Aguirre Quiroga
@stefanaq.bsky.social
PhD student in History at the University of Göteborg, Sweden. Researching the historical memory of the War of the Pacific in Chile. Author of "White Mythic Space: Racism, the First World War, and Battlefield 1".
🚨NEW PUBLICATION🚨My new article, ”Defeat into Victory: Remediating the 1879 Battle of Canchas Blancas in Bolivia, 2015–2018”, is now published in the Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies. #WarMemory #HistoricalMemory
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
October 29, 2025 at 3:00 PM
🚨NEW PUBLICATION🚨My new article, ”Defeat into Victory: Remediating the 1879 Battle of Canchas Blancas in Bolivia, 2015–2018”, is now published in the Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies. #WarMemory #HistoricalMemory
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
🚨NEW PUBLICATION🚨 My new article, ”The Great War from the Periphery: Representing and Remembering the First World War in Swedish and Chilean War Museums”, is now published in the First World War Studies journal! #MuseumStudies #WarMemory
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
September 7, 2025 at 2:10 PM
🚨NEW PUBLICATION🚨 My new article, ”The Great War from the Periphery: Representing and Remembering the First World War in Swedish and Chilean War Museums”, is now published in the First World War Studies journal! #MuseumStudies #WarMemory
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
I am very grateful to Nick Robinson for his excellent review of "White Mythic Space: Racism, the First World War and Battlefield 1" in First World War Studies journal.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
April 2, 2025 at 10:26 AM
I am very grateful to Nick Robinson for his excellent review of "White Mythic Space: Racism, the First World War and Battlefield 1" in First World War Studies journal.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Together they are a testament to the experience of the Black British community during the Second World War and there are many stories just like theirs that is waiting to be told.
February 4, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Together they are a testament to the experience of the Black British community during the Second World War and there are many stories just like theirs that is waiting to be told.
Any mention of Ramsay Bader is incomplete without also mentioning Lilian Bailey who served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and reached the rank of Acting Corporal. Lilian Bailey and Ramsay Bader married in 1943.
February 4, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Any mention of Ramsay Bader is incomplete without also mentioning Lilian Bailey who served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and reached the rank of Acting Corporal. Lilian Bailey and Ramsay Bader married in 1943.
Ramsay Bader was a tank driver in the 147th (Essex Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army. As part of the 147th, Bader landed on Gold Beach on D-Day, June 6th 1944.
#BlackHistoryMonth #WWII #BlackBritishHistory #MilitaryHistory #DDay
#BlackHistoryMonth #WWII #BlackBritishHistory #MilitaryHistory #DDay
February 4, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Ramsay Bader was a tank driver in the 147th (Essex Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army. As part of the 147th, Bader landed on Gold Beach on D-Day, June 6th 1944.
#BlackHistoryMonth #WWII #BlackBritishHistory #MilitaryHistory #DDay
#BlackHistoryMonth #WWII #BlackBritishHistory #MilitaryHistory #DDay
By the way, do you know who is cited in this section despite the fact that what they have written contradicts this entire section?
November 28, 2024 at 1:50 PM
By the way, do you know who is cited in this section despite the fact that what they have written contradicts this entire section?
These arguments are even present on Wikipedia, on the semi-locked page for "1917". It describes the black presence as "negligible", practically implying that it is trivial and therefore historically inaccurate. There is nothing about the film's depiction of POC that is contrary to modern scholarship
November 28, 2024 at 1:50 PM
These arguments are even present on Wikipedia, on the semi-locked page for "1917". It describes the black presence as "negligible", practically implying that it is trivial and therefore historically inaccurate. There is nothing about the film's depiction of POC that is contrary to modern scholarship
Other answers show a reliance on numerical arguments, using real estimates made by scholars of the black population in Great Britain during this time period, but decontextualizing them from scholarly interpretations.
November 28, 2024 at 1:50 PM
Other answers show a reliance on numerical arguments, using real estimates made by scholars of the black population in Great Britain during this time period, but decontextualizing them from scholarly interpretations.
There were those who, whether in good faith or bad faith, asked about the accuracy of this portrayal on sites like Quora. Below is one of the most popular answers, with over 15.6K views. It's wrong, it's racist, and it's one of the first hits you get if you search for an answer.
November 28, 2024 at 1:50 PM
There were those who, whether in good faith or bad faith, asked about the accuracy of this portrayal on sites like Quora. Below is one of the most popular answers, with over 15.6K views. It's wrong, it's racist, and it's one of the first hits you get if you search for an answer.
Some were obsessed with the presence of black soldiers amongst white soldiers. One YouTube/Twitter user even created an extensive list, literally counting black faces in the film, to make a point about "distorting European history". What they really mean is *white* history.
November 28, 2024 at 1:50 PM
Some were obsessed with the presence of black soldiers amongst white soldiers. One YouTube/Twitter user even created an extensive list, literally counting black faces in the film, to make a point about "distorting European history". What they really mean is *white* history.
Now, before we move any further, I need to point out: The majority of the people of color shown in the film are background extras. In a cast of hundreds upon hundreds of extras, there are a handful of POC actors.
November 28, 2024 at 1:50 PM
Now, before we move any further, I need to point out: The majority of the people of color shown in the film are background extras. In a cast of hundreds upon hundreds of extras, there are a handful of POC actors.
In "White Mythic Space", I not only talk about "Battlefield 1". In the last chapter of the book, I take a brief look at "1917" (2019), directed by Sam Mendes, which also received racist backlash because of its inclusion of soldiers of color.
November 28, 2024 at 1:50 PM
In "White Mythic Space", I not only talk about "Battlefield 1". In the last chapter of the book, I take a brief look at "1917" (2019), directed by Sam Mendes, which also received racist backlash because of its inclusion of soldiers of color.
With hindsight, I also consider my decision to quote comments in full to be serendipitous. Today, the unedited and uncensored quotes in my book is all that remains of hundreds of BF forum posts discussing inclusion and what their ideas of historical authenticity.
November 21, 2024 at 3:07 PM
With hindsight, I also consider my decision to quote comments in full to be serendipitous. Today, the unedited and uncensored quotes in my book is all that remains of hundreds of BF forum posts discussing inclusion and what their ideas of historical authenticity.
For my investigation in "White Mythic Space", I drew on born-digital sources from a variety of places: the Battlefield Forums, Reddit, YouTube, and even memes.
November 21, 2024 at 3:07 PM
For my investigation in "White Mythic Space", I drew on born-digital sources from a variety of places: the Battlefield Forums, Reddit, YouTube, and even memes.
In studying the racist discourse surrounding "Battlefield 1", the official forum was a goldmine. There were hundreds of discussions surrounding the inclusion of soldiers of color in the game. This post, for example, is one of the many examples I use in the book.
November 21, 2024 at 3:07 PM
In studying the racist discourse surrounding "Battlefield 1", the official forum was a goldmine. There were hundreds of discussions surrounding the inclusion of soldiers of color in the game. This post, for example, is one of the many examples I use in the book.
I began writing "White Mythic Space" in October 2020. I was lucky. Only a couple of months later, on April 7, 2021, the official Battlefield Forums closed down for good and all posts were erased from existence.
November 21, 2024 at 3:07 PM
I began writing "White Mythic Space" in October 2020. I was lucky. Only a couple of months later, on April 7, 2021, the official Battlefield Forums closed down for good and all posts were erased from existence.
Finally, the conclusion is divided into three sections. "Aftermath" looks at how Battlefield 1 evolved and new inclusions of soldiers of color into the game, following how Battlefield 1 itself became history as a new controversy dawned: Battlefield V.
November 20, 2024 at 3:14 PM
Finally, the conclusion is divided into three sections. "Aftermath" looks at how Battlefield 1 evolved and new inclusions of soldiers of color into the game, following how Battlefield 1 itself became history as a new controversy dawned: Battlefield V.
racism in the process. The Afro-German soldier in the game is given its own space within the book, as the hate and racism towards the presence of a black man in German uniform exceeded everything else.
November 20, 2024 at 3:14 PM
racism in the process. The Afro-German soldier in the game is given its own space within the book, as the hate and racism towards the presence of a black man in German uniform exceeded everything else.
Chapter 2 pushes us into the actual study of Battlefield 1. The first section covers the game itself, discussing the content of the game, the goals set out by the developers, and the representation of soldiers of color within.
November 20, 2024 at 3:14 PM
Chapter 2 pushes us into the actual study of Battlefield 1. The first section covers the game itself, discussing the content of the game, the goals set out by the developers, and the representation of soldiers of color within.
I begin with a mystery. Something strange is happening on askhistorians.bsky.social. The introduction frames the entire investigation: Why do people who reject the presence of people of color, specifically people of African ancestry, in representations of history?
November 20, 2024 at 3:14 PM
I begin with a mystery. Something strange is happening on askhistorians.bsky.social. The introduction frames the entire investigation: Why do people who reject the presence of people of color, specifically people of African ancestry, in representations of history?
Here is the table of contents to start us off.
November 20, 2024 at 3:14 PM
Here is the table of contents to start us off.
In 2022, ”White Mythic Space: Racism, the First World War and Battlefield 1” was released. In it, I explore the 2016 controversy over the inclusion of PoC soldiers in a game set during the First World War. Curious to know more? Let’s explore the book!
November 20, 2024 at 3:14 PM
In 2022, ”White Mythic Space: Racism, the First World War and Battlefield 1” was released. In it, I explore the 2016 controversy over the inclusion of PoC soldiers in a game set during the First World War. Curious to know more? Let’s explore the book!
A Black British soldier spotted in a group photo of D Company, 1/4th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment. The photo taken was during the battle of the Somme. A fantastic find!
Source: bbc.com/news/uk-englan…
Source: bbc.com/news/uk-englan…
November 19, 2024 at 5:50 PM
A Black British soldier spotted in a group photo of D Company, 1/4th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment. The photo taken was during the battle of the Somme. A fantastic find!
Source: bbc.com/news/uk-englan…
Source: bbc.com/news/uk-englan…
But who? I don't know. Here's a great example of how it is portrayed on Chilean television (facebook.com/watch/?v=121...) complete with Iwo Jima-esque flag raising and an obligatory, "it is said that it inspired [...] the Normandy landings."
November 19, 2024 at 1:45 PM
But who? I don't know. Here's a great example of how it is portrayed on Chilean television (facebook.com/watch/?v=121...) complete with Iwo Jima-esque flag raising and an obligatory, "it is said that it inspired [...] the Normandy landings."