The clothing worn by sailors throughout Western Europe in the late eighteenth century reflected the transnational links and divisions of the maritime world they inhabited. As boats crossed between nations, the men aboard both military and commercial vessels dressed in
The Long Project and Personal Connection in the Study of History
For the past week I have been researching, thinking and re-thinking potential subjects for my long project. Being presented with such an open project where each aspect of it has to be independently thought out makes you realise the difference
From Project Proposal to Presentation
It is great to see the first posts on projects coming in – including the teething problems, how to decide on a topic (you see, that is what we do as academics, PhDs – the world is wide open). Nikos
The Daunting Task of Practising Transnational History
So, this is the week transnational history starts to get a bit more daunting. Up until this point, we have spent the majority of our time reading the work of historians, trying to grasp an understanding of the approach based on what
Michael McGerr’s Article and How to Write Transnational History
While many of my colleges I’m sure will be writing on how and what their projects are beginning to look like I felt it only right as I had yet to post about prior reading to begin my blogging with
Hiccups in My Project Proposal
I’ve been doing research into my potential project, and I’ve been encountering quite a few issues which I am anxious to address. If anyone has any advice for me on how to proceed, I would be exceedingly grateful. I am
How to Pick a Research Project
Without any assigned readings for this week, and the ‘uncomference’ looming, I felt that my blog posting should reflect my journey towards picking a project proposal. This has been a difficult task for me, and I’ve often jumped from idea
Practicing Microhistory
As the debate between Microhistory and Global History is raised this week, I would like to focus on Struck, Ferris and Revel’s article, ‘Introduction: Space and Scale in Transnational History’ as the foundation for contemplating scale in history, then look
Toni Andrade’s Article: The Good and the Bad of Microhistory
Tonio Andrade’s Microhistory of the Siege of Fort Zeelandia is an excellent article in highlighting both the benefits and the pitfalls of micro history. Although Andrade begins his study with a rejection of the importance of the episode he pieces
Scale in Micro History and Global History
I’ll admit that one of the issues I have been having in attempting to envisage global and transnational history and what they might entail is the potential scope of the subjects. At times, it seems that there are so many
From Italian miller to Singapore mutiny: an attempt at differentiating Microhistory and Transnational History
A look at how microhistory may be closer to cultural history and transnational history to international politics, even if both histories adopt the micro lens of analysis.
The size of the historical lens: Singapore 1915
The 1915 Singapore mutiny is a well-documented event that has somehow escaped the attention of most historians: an issue which Heather Streets-Salter attempts to rectify in an article discussing the global implications of this local event. Divided into two parts,
Micro History and the Dangers of Extrapolating Trends
As much as I always enjoy micro histories, with regards to transnational histories, I have had some hesitations regarding the compatibility of these two historical perspectives. I worry that to apply transnational perspectives to local people and events puts the
The Importance of Scale
When studying history, it is common to think in terms of time; when an event happened and the events that preceded and succeeded it. But to throw in the idea of scale can allow a certain event to be viewed
Micro & Macro
In his article praising the uses of micro-history, Tonio Andrade hits the nail on the head by stating that imagination is the most important tool of the historian. Micro-history, with its up close and personal approach, feeds into the imagination