Ian Tyrrell’s Transnational Nation. United States History in Global Perspective Since 1789 is an innovative study regarding the connections and interchange between the US and the rest of the world during America’s process of development and expansion. It is easy to
Some thoughts on language use in transnational history (inspired by Chin’s introduction and readings from previous weeks.)
*Note: This is an attempt to express a thought that has been bothering me, by tomorrow I may completely disagree with everything I have just written.* I’ve had this niggling idea since last week of this issue of language in
Guest Workers in Post-war Germany
The introduction to Rita Chin’s book on guest workers in postwar-Germany focusses on the face, role and importance of guest workers in shaping the nation after the fall of the Third Reich. The wider argument highlights how the debate about
National governments as institutions in the study of transnational history
Patricia Clavin emphasizes that transnational history allows us t0 explore the history of supra-, trans-, and international institutions. She often references the League of Nations, as well as the United Nations, as heretofore unexplored nexuses for transnational history. However, it
How to Define Transnational History
What is the definition of transnational history? A simple Google search of the phrase produces a myriad of results none offering a clear definition. A result from University College London entertain that they’re a forum for transnational historical research, but
Welcome back MO3351
Thank you for a great start yesterday. We ran through the practicalities, scope and rationale of the module, we had a moment of confession time on “weaknesses”, habits (good and bad and new). Also, we ran through the assessment side
Project Problems: Structure, Sources and the Transnational Context
The current challenge I’m facing in writing my project is deciding upon a structure that keeps the transnational element at the centre. The essential purpose of my project is to uncover the transnational connections between Belfast and Glasgow through the
Project Progress and Problems
Where my project stands at the moment is one that still lacks focus and a specific argument at such. As the nature of my project has evolved from focusing on the first Documenta exhibition in 1955 to covering three (1955,
Some Clarity (finally!) with My Project
After my research frustrations, I decided to turn back to David Goldblatt’s comprehensive book about the global history of football, The Ball is Round. In his chapter on the turn of the professionalization of the game, he argues that the European game
Project problems: accounts from the angle of the Ghadarites
Ghadar has been written about from two main perspectives: firstly (and primarily), building it into the story of Indian nationalism; secondly, fitting it into the history of revolutionary movements of the early twentieth century. It is the challenge of how
Project Problems
The process of developing my project around the theme of Prohibition bootlegging on the Michigan-Ontario border has proved a challenging one. The wealth of primary and secondary sources which I have found has made it increasingly difficult to find a
The Agency of the Individual
When examining history in the context of nation-states interacting with nation-states, it is often easy, and sometimes inevitable, that we lose sight of the role of individuals. Even if individuals are considered, it is difficult to imagine them as individual
Actors and networks- rethinking space and time
The concept of networks in transnational history is potentially a very powerful one; they can elucidate exactly why certain phenomena developed, and why in specific spaces, both socially and geographically. Human connections have often connected geographically independent regions or individuals
Personal Interactions: The Perfect Starting Point for Studying Networks (or a Historian’s Worst Nightmare)?
In her article we read back in Week 1, Patricia Clavin states that transnational history is “first and foremost about the people.” This might be stating the obvious, but it is a useful quote to keep in mind when looking
Researching the project
Researching Ghadar has involved using a range of different source bases. In addition to published memoirs and collections of official documents – available through inter-library loan – I have consulted contemporary newspapers online through the library subscription to the ProQuest