As we near our project proposals and presentations I have begun to narrow down and also to begin to dive into some readings on the top I’ve chosen and as I have done this I have begun to cultivate a
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
Introducing “European Sailors Clothing in Transnational Perspective, 1750-1790”
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
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
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
Ideas to Sources or Ideas from Sources?
It isn’t unusual for a historian to look out onto the landscape of historiography on a particular issue and get the feeling that something is amiss. This can be the spark that sends them into the archives (or their existing
Comparative History (chicken?) – Transnational History (egg?)
It was great to see some of you browsing through last year’s posts, comments, readings – that is precisely the purpose of running “the soul” of MO3351 on this site. Keep going, browsing, interacting with previous students’ thoughts. Now, this week