I has only been three weeks and three sessions with and around transnational and global history – thus far. Today we plunged into the wide Indian Ocean (with Sugata Bose, A Hundred Horizons). There is one more week to go
Dear Granny, greeting from transnational land…..
Confession up front: I am an analogue boy, i.e. growing up in the 1970s and 1980s. And I do remember sending postcards. How exciting was that. Travelling to a new place, an unknown place, then – out of sense of
A Croatian Electrician, Two Army Officers, and a French Tennis Legend: Toward a Global Microhistory
In one of our readings last week by Tonio Andrade, one part particularly stuck out me and is worth quoting in full. ‘There are stories out there waiting to be told, traces in the archives that can provide individual perspectives
Microhistory: the irregular and the human
When reading about transnational and microhistories, two thoughts came predominantly to mind. The first was on how one could reconcile history on what is seemingly its grandest scale with its smallest (and often its most irregular). At first glance, perhaps,
Theseus’ ship’s in fact a sieve
Transnationalism, it is evident, is a tricky beast to pin down. Even those who optimistically declare themselves to be defining it seem to find themselves grasping at shadows and not quite managing to fulfil their original intent. Such a difficulty
An Introduction Into Studying Transnational History
When I first applied to take this module, it was because of the unique format and the ability to retain flexibility in what one would like to study. Personally, the idea of studying the movement of ideas, people and cultures
How my project has changed.
In this post, since we have had the last of our normal classes, I thought I would reflect on the ways in which my project has changed since I made my proposal. We were certainly warned that this would be
Africans in Britain, and the complexity of the transnational connections in my project.
Last week, during the collaborative writing session, I discussed on of the problems that I’ve encountered in research for my project. I wrote that the approaches to history that have developed in the recent past have been invaluable to the
Considering Identity (and Some Self-Indulgent Self-Reflection)
I know this is more a consolidation (project-finishing, presentation-preparing, caffeine-pounding) week than anything else, but I stumbled onto something interesting (to me, at least) while polishing up my work on my project, and I thought it worth sharing. I had
Questioning Colonialism in my Project
In reading for my longer project, I have been thinking about its colonial context. A point was raised about terminology in the reading and in the seminar last week, and about what we can consider to be transnational. I feel
Undermining the supremacy of “shared history” and historicising Time
Having been reading Thomas Bender’s “Introduction” to the edited volume of Rethinking American History in a Global Age, I’d like to deepen our previous conversations on the methodology of transnational history, as well as the rationale behind it. We’ve often
Agents and Defining Agency (Plus, A Plea for Assistance)
I know we’ve not had our discussion of agents and agency yet, but I had a few quick thoughts I wanted to share. Firstly, I appreciate the basic approach of understanding transnational connections through identification of actors (individuals) and the
Project Proposal: Individual Migration and African National Liberation
From 1957-1975 the political landscape of Africa transformed as national liberation movements gradually facilitated the nations’ independence from colonial rule. The contribution of individuals who would become prominent African leaders in bolstering support for post-war anti-colonialist movements has been recognised;
Well I have a project idea but lets see if it’s workable!
Having skimmed one or two journal articles about the study of sex in transnational history I came across a mention of an epidemic of venereal disease in Germany right at the end of the Second World War, apparently thanks to
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