As I was talking to Sophie and Nick in class this week, I was relieved to find out that I was not the only one who gets excited about a beautiful contents page. I realised this as we were describing our ‘dream transnational history students’ handbook’, and we all started to get very worked up about index pages, chapter introductions and comprehensive further reading lists. You know you’re speaking to a history student when someone says, “It makes my day when I pick up a book and the chapters themselves are categorised and organised by theme”. In our group, we got so into the idea of being able to organise the structure of the contents page that in the end there was very little content actually in it in terms of what themes we actually wanted to see there.
In light of this, I’ve had a think about what I personally would like to see in the Isabella West edition of a Transnational History Students Handbook and this is what I’ve come up with.
But first, I’ll break down the structure of the book.
As well as an introduction and conclusion, the book would consist of 4 (or more – these are just my ideas) chapters organised around themes. Within these chapters there would be a short introduction with some key words and discussions, followed by a very thorough reading list and 3-4 articles as examples of the concepts raised above. After every article there would of course be another reading list because who doesn’t love a good reading list.
Below, are just a few points I think would be interesting to consider in the introductions of each chapter.
INTRODUCTION
- Give transnational history a definition! By a definition, I do not mean the definitive definition, but one that can get students excited about what this approach entails. A Clavin-style discussion as to its ambiguity can come after, but before this you need to give the term some scope and meaning. In my mind, this book is targeted at our previous selves some 10 weeks ago, and I know that 10 week ago me would have appreciated a little bit of clarity just to get me thinking about the possibilities this kind of history holds.
- Context! As a relatively recent concept, it would also be great to know where transnational history is situated within wider historiography: how it emerged, where it emerged, what it emerged out of etc.
- Key debates! A quick discussion regarding the most relevant discussions occurring in the field at the moment would follow but only as an introduction to the rest of the chapters.
- Reading List! This handbook is only a guide that would serve as a springboard to students’ further reading so this reading list would be a critical aspect of every chapter.
- THE NATION: Do we stress the trans or the national?
This was actually the only topic Sophie, Nick and I got to talk about, which probably says something about its significance in our minds. Under this topic I would like to see how the nation fits into but also challenges transnational concepts and approaches. This could borrow from and include aspects of the OXO article and AHR conversation, which highlights the tensions and opportunities of deviating from traditional national narratives.
Example of article: Perhaps the most relevant article I can think of at the moment might just be Zoe’s future essay on European identity as an example exploring national identities within supra-national organisations
2. EMPIRE
The majority of the topics we have chosen involve the concept of empires in one capacity or another so it’s clear that there is a wealth of material here to choose from in terms of themes. I personally would enjoy sections on non-human actors such as disease or commodities, subaltern migration and mobility, trans-imperial networks and decolonisation theory and the reciprocal influence it has had on transnational history but I’m aware these are just topics that I find particularly interesting.
Example: Curless’s The Triumph of the State demonstrating the advantages and limitations transnational history has created in examining the emphasis, or over-emphasis of inter-territorial networks.
3. ACTORS
This chapter could certainly be taken in a variety of directions. However, I think this could be a good place to look at approaching transnational sources. Inspired by the reading on biographies, it would be interesting to consider how studying transnational actors could encourage historians to place more emphasis on the lived experiences of actors in history. Though I remember there being speculation in class about blurring the lines between ‘fantasy’ and ‘reality’, this section could perhaps take a creative approach in examining transnational actors, whether it’s through novel approaches such as GIS or maybe even delving into historical fiction
Example: Despite the controversy this caused, I would choose the Andrade article to most effectively demonstrate the possibilities transnational history could yield.
4. SCALE
Here, the Saunier article would serve as a basis for the key debates and issues raised since it generated so much debate when we discussed it in class. The issue of bridging local, regional, national and global scales without regarding them in any sort of hierarchy was of particular interest to me. To address this, the chapter should look at micro- and global- histories independently and then provide an example that links the two together.
Example: Saunier, Pierre-Yves. Transnational History. Theory and History. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.