Editing Historical reenactment (section)

===Categories of reenactors===
Reenactors are commonly divided (or self-divided) into several broadly defined categories, based on the level of concern for [[authenticity (reenactment)|authenticity]].<ref name="Dress Authenticity">Strauss. "In the United States, hobby organizations participate in the public reenactment of historical events. The most popular is Civil War reenacting, which can be viewed as a manifestation of the unresolved nature of that war&nbsp;... Among reenactors, the quest for historical authenticity is considered a core value."</ref><ref>Stanton. p. 34</ref>

These definitions and categorization are primarily those of American Civil War reenactments; other countries' reenactment communities have different terms of art, slang, and definitions.

====Farbs====
[[File:Costumed gladiatrix Roman period.jpg|thumb|A reenactor dressed as a Roman citizen.]]
"Farbs" or "polyester soldiers",<ref>Hadden pp. 209, 219</ref> are reenactors who spend relatively little time and/or money achieving authenticity with regard to uniforms, accessories, or period behavior. Anachronistic clothing, fabrics, fasteners (such as [[velcro]]), [[Headgear|headwear]], footwear, vehicles, and consumables (such as modern cigarettes) are common.

The origin of the word "farb" (and the derivative adjective "farby") is unknown, though it appears to date to early [[American Civil War]] centennial reenactments in 1960 or 1961.<ref>Hadden p. 8. "Ross M. Kimmel states that it was used at the Manassas reenactment in 1961&nbsp;... George Gorman and his 2nd North Carolina picked up the term at the First Manassas Reenactment in 1961 and enjoyed using it constantly with condescension and sarcasm directed toward other units."</ref> Some think that the word derives from a truncated version of "Far be it from authentic".<ref>{{citation |url=http://wesclark.com/jw/hodge.html |title=They Don Period's Clothes, Eat Era's Grub and Sneer At Less-Exacting Brethern |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=1994-06-02 |access-date=2011-01-03 |last=Horwitz |first=Tony |quote=Some also refuse to fight beside those whose uniforms and performance art don't measure up: a group derided as "farbs," {{Sic|hide=y|short|-hand}} for "far-be-it-from-authentic."}}</ref> An alternative definition is "Far Be it for me to question/criticise",<ref name="Hadden 8">Hadden, p. 8</ref><ref>[http://wesclark.com/jw/forigin.html Wesclark.com]</ref> or "Fast And Researchless Buying".<ref>Hadden p. 8 ''Juanita Leisch calls it "Fast And Researchless Buying," and other sources insist it came from the Bicentennial and Revolutionary War groups and means "Fairly Authentic Royal British."''</ref> A humorous definition of "farb" is "F.A.R.B: Forget About Research, Baby". Some early reenactors assert the word derives from German ''Farbe'', color, because inauthentic reenactors were over-colorful compared with the dull blues, greys or browns of the real Civil War uniforms that were the principal concern of American reenactors at the time the word was coined.<ref name="Hadden 8"/><ref>[http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-far1.htm Worldwidewords.org]</ref> According to Burton K. Kummerow, a member of "The Black Hats, CSA" reenactment group in the early 1960s, he first heard it used as a form of fake German to describe a fellow reenactor. The term was picked up by George Gorman of the 2nd North Carolina at the Centennial Manassas Reenactment in 1961, and has been used by reenactors since.<ref>Hadden, pp.&nbsp;219–220</ref>

====Mainstream====
[[File:Cw reenactors.jpg|right|thumb|Mainstream American Civil War reenactors in 1997]]
Mainstream reenactors make an effort to appear authentic, but may come out of character in the absence of an audience. Visible stitches are likely to be sewn in a period-correct manner, but hidden stitches and undergarments may not be period-appropriate. Food consumed before an audience is likely to be generally appropriate to the period, but it may not be seasonally and locally appropriate. Modern items are sometimes used "after hours" or in a hidden fashion.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}}

{{anchor|Progressive}}

====Progressive====
[[File:The Liberty Guards Mess a group of hardcore reenactors, this is a tintype of their Shermans bummers portrayl.jpg|thumb|right|A [[tintype]] showing "hardcore" American Civil War reenactors]]
At the other extreme from farbs are "hardcore authentics", or "progressives", as they sometimes prefer to be called;<ref>Hadden p. 138</ref> derisively, they are sometimes called "stitch counters", "stitch nazis", or "stitch witches."<ref>Hadden p. 224</ref> The movement is "often misunderstood and sometimes maligned."<ref>Hadden, p. 138</ref>

Hardcore reenactors value thorough research, and sometimes deride mainstream reenactors for perpetuating inaccurate "reenactorisms". They generally seek an "immersive" reenacting experience, trying to live, as much as possible, as someone of the period might have done. This includes eating seasonally and regionally appropriate food, sewing inside seams and undergarments in a period-appropriate manner, and staying in character throughout an event.<ref>Hadden p. 138 "Like soldiers of the Civil War, progressives experience the same poor conditions that the original soldiers did, camping without tents and sleeping out exposed to the cold and rain. They spend weekends eating bad and insufficient food, and they practice a steady regimen of work, marching, and drill. They suffer the cold, carrying insufficient clothing and blankets as well as sleeping campaign-style by spooning with each other for warmth."</ref> The desire for an immersive experience often leads hard-core reenactors to smaller events, or to setting up separate camps at larger events.<ref>Hadden p. 139</ref>