War Movies and Economics

Professor Chandini Sankaran enjoyed co-authoring a chapter in the forthcoming book "War Movies and Economics: Lessons from Hollywood’s Adaptation of Military Conflicts" with her father, a semi-retired Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism, Dr. Sankaran Ramanathan. In their chapter titled "The Battle of Dunkirk: Analyzing Economics Principles in Two Motion Picture Portrayals of an Epic Retreat", they analyze the economic content of both versions of the well-known war movie titled Dunkirk (Divine and Lipscomb, 1958 and Nolan, 2017), both of which cover the dramatic rescue of large portions of the Allied armies from destruction by the German Army near the beginning of World War II. Both movies present numerous examples of economic principles in a war situation. They hope that the examples and vignettes from Dunkirk catalogued in a single study will help provide innovative ideas for economics educators to engage students in learning economics through war movies.

The book is ideal reading for students of economics looking for an approachable route to understanding basic principles of economics and game theory. It is also accessible to amateur and professional historians, and any reader interested in popular culture as it relates to television, movies, and military history.