I think it’s a strength of the module that everyone has a unique perspective on how to do transnational history and this is evident in the sheer diversity of the projects presented. These presentations also gave me ideas on how to improve my own project going forward.
Here are a few comments I had about a couple of the presentations.
Poverty and Labour in the Jute Industry: Home and Away (Karen)
I thought this was a fantastic presentation, which clearly showcased the depth of your research. I also really liked the main factors of comparison which were clearly defined. After watching your presentation, I realised that this is something that my project is lacking, and I hope to implement some clear categories of comparison into my own project. Your historiography is clearly part of your project in your discussion of wages disparities and living conditions especially between the genders and locations. Perhaps a suggestion would be to briefly comment on the historiographical fields of social history, feminism or postcolonial studies. However, this is only a minor suggestion as the historiographical influences on your project are clear.
The Enlightenment: Connections between US and French Revolutions (Doug)
Another really good presentation which has been well thought out and has clear arguments outlined. The flow of ideas and their interactions is clearly a transnational in scope. You also showed that you had taken on board feedback in order to address the impacts that these revolutionary figures had on lesser-known actors. You also displayed a really good range of sources which were clearly split into a wide range of categories. Overall, this was a great presentation! Perhaps you could have maybe spoke a bit more of the lesser-known actors, however in a short 10-minute presentation there’s a lot to pack in so I wouldn’t worry too much about that!
Fist of Fury: A transnational guide on how Bruce Lee punched his way against Asian stereotypes in Hollywood (Naomi)
Again, another excellent presentation which transnationally spans beyond just Bruce Lee’s impact taking into account the Cold War political environment as well as how global definitions of masculinity developed and changed. I really liked your use of sources. Whilst most of them are not traditional academic sources they clearly support the argument you are making and its great see such a wide variety of sources being implemented into your project.