New history podcasts to look out for

In the past weeks several history podcasts that are worth following delivered new content. I will be referring to history podcasts that have little frequency in their release schedule and this may have as a result the new episode is overlooked.

First of all, there was a new episode in the series Dan Carlin's Hardcore History. Dan Carlin took up the story of Ferdinand Magellan in order to delve into thoughts about the dynamics of the age of exploration. When the old world and the new world got connected it radically changed the entire world. And although it was bound to happen one day and be set in motion by some people, there is something surprising about the fact that the likes of Magellan were the agents of history. Those, the Europeans, until then rather marginal on the world stage, got from this point center stage. And Dan Carlin deliberates what was special about them. Especially good and especially bad. (feed)

Historyzine came with the next episode and in addition to the podcast reviews and an exceptionally good edition of the linguistic trivia, which had an Indian theme with words like Avatar, Thug and Blighty. The narration of the War of the Spanish succession, entered the year 1707 in which, for the first time I remember in this series, the allies (the English, Dutch and Austrians) suffer some serious setbacks. (feed)

After a very long hiatus during which I thought the podcast had faded, La Resistance released an episode about the resistance figure Henry Frenay. After Jean Moulin, Frenay was probably the most influential and important person in the French Resistance. With Frenay, this did not sit well. This podcast studies the complicated history and character of Frenay who not only battled the Germans, but also ... Jean Moulin. (feed)

Two new interviews were released on the Exploring Environmental History podcast. Jan Oosthoek spoke with Jim Clifford about the history of the river Lea, which developed from a rather insignificant arm of the Thames to to a major industrial artery with great environmental impact. With James Beattie he discusses the anxieties colonists dealt with. When the Europeans began to colonize the rest of the world during the age of imperialism, they had to manage to adapt to and survive in radically different climates and landscapes than they were used to. This was not merely a practical challenge, it turned out to be also a psychological one. (feed)

De Eerste Wereldoorlog in podcast

Het is hoog tijd dat ik weer eens over Veertien Achttien schrijf. Deze amateur podcast, verzorgd door Tom Tacken, brengt wekelijks een kwartier luisterrijke audio waarin het verloop van de Eerste Wereldoorlog chronologisch op de voet gevolgd wordt en tevens een portret van een van de aanwezigen wordt uitgewerkt. Aan de hand van deze portrettenserie weet Tacken een uiterst gevarieerd beeld van het grote narratief te schetsen. Dankzij de uiteenlopende figuranten weet hij de eveneens uiteenlopende thematieken uit te lichten. Niet alleen de gevechtshandelingen op de verschillende fronten, alsmede de politieke achtergronden krijgen daardoor de aandacht, maar tevens de kleine menselijke, de culturele en andere vaak overgeslagen aspecten van deze wereldbrand.

Voor wie meer uitgebreid over de Grote Oorlog ingelicht wil worden, zijn vele andere podcasts beschikbaar. Een van de velen die op dit moment relevant materiaal biedt is de hoorcollegeserie op Berkeley, History 151c, die de moderne historie van Groot Brittannië bespreekt. Het college van vorige week ging specifiek over 'The Great War', maar als het enigszins gaat zou ik de lezer willen overhalen om niet een enkele lezing, maar het geheel te beluisteren. Professor James Vernon brengt op een zeer bekwame en onderhoudende manier de moderne liberale rechtsstaat in beeld en weet daarin op indringende wijze schrijnende paradoxen zichtbaar te maken. Deze paradoxen zijn niet uniek voor de Britse samenleving daardoor buitengewoon interessant.

Meer Veertien Achttien:
Ford en anderen,
Sigmund Freud,
Edith Cavell,
Rudyard Kipling, (speciaal aanbevolen)
Ferdinand I van Bulgarije.

Meer Berkeley:
The Indian Rebellion 1857,
Human Evolution and Prehistory,
Dacher Keltner on Happiness and Health,
Modern Western History in podcasts,
Wars, Empires, Nations 1648-1914.

Two podcast issues on the History of Haiti

Haiti may be associated with natural disasters, abject poverty and political instability, but it can pride itself in being the product of the one successful slave revolt in history, to be the first republic of black people and to be the second independent state in the Western hemisphere (after the US). In addition, when it was still a colony of France, it was one of the world's major producers of sugar, coffee and indigo and as such represented immeasurable wealth. The history of Haiti's coming into existence is retold in the 10th lecture of UCSD's series MMW 5.

This podcast is delicately complemented by ABC's Rear Vision, which brought an issue about Haiti. Rear Vision summarizes what you have already learned from MMW 5 and shows how the circumstances in which Haiti is established already bear with it the elements that make for its consecutive instability. A free slave nation, obviously, meant a threat to other powers that heavily relied on slave even if they were the enemies of France. Haiti also inherited the ethnic divisions that were the social fabric of the slave society and this continued to cause political instability. And last but not least, the country lies on a seismic fault line and in the path of heavy seasonal tornadoes to name but some of the environmental challenges.

The modern history narrative of Rear Vision can be compared with the MMW 6 lecture on Haiti, which, according to the MMW 5 lecture, is to be expected. Maybe this summer.

More MMW 5:
Revolution, Industry & Empire.

More Rear Vision:
History of Yemen,
Freemasons,
China,
A history of the Israeli-Arab conflict,
Fish depletion.

Destruction and the end - FITJ

A highly recommended podcast series has finished its subject. Michael Satlow's From Israelite to Jew (feed) has spent 22 shows of around half an hour in a most fascinating, informative and provocative reconstruction of Jewish history from around 500 BCE to 100 CE. As the title indicates, Satlow went to great depths and length in order to show how the Jews and their religion developed from a tribal, Israelite culture to an ethnic Jewish one.

Michael Satlow is professor of religious studies and Judaic Studies at Brown University and has developed this podcast series in his spare time just as so many other podcasters did and do. The podcast is offered for free, though Satlow facilitates making donations with a paypal button on the podcast's blog. In his last show he explicitly asks for donations and suggests that it depends on whether enough donations will come through if he is going to make a follow-up of the show. And this shows Satlow to be in exactly the same position as all the non-institutional podcasters whose work we enjoy so much: they voluntarily spent a lot of their time, effort and even money in order to bring us the podcast. And there are few indicators that this expense is being sufficiently compensated. It shows where podcasting the way it began, is going to disappear. Although I hope not.

From Israelite to Jew has described the Judaism of the second-temple period and even if it shows a lot of Jewish worship going on outside of the Temple, still, the religion continued to have at least some focal point at the Temple. When in 70 CE the Temple is definitively destroyed, Judaism continued to exist and developed the rabbinic style that we know until today. It would be fantastic to have Michael Satlow take up the gauntlet and teach us in a next podcast about the rise of rabbinical Judaism. If you agree, do not hesitate and send a contribution to this fine podcaster.

More FITJ:
Pharisees and Sadducees,
The Dead Sea Scrolls,
Herod the Ambiguous,
Jewish varieties,
Jews in the Hasmonean era.

New podcasts in February 2010 - Anne is a Man

Four new podcast were reviewed for the first time this month. All of them in the realm of history and three out of the four in European history. It has not only been a quiet month from my part, the readers have also not made new podcast suggestions (as opposed to last month)

Europe from its origins (review, site, feed)
A very commendable enhanced podcast and vodcast that is made by an amateur, but displays professional quality to form as well as content. Host Joe Hogarty explores Europe's roots into the Roman empire and meticulously follows them through to the Middle Ages. This podcast not only tells the tale in a very good way, it also attempts to make the argument that Europe never slid into such level of uncultured backwardness that would justify the treatment of the early Middle Ages as a Dark Age and could contribute Europe's eventual delivery from this alleged barbarian phase solely to intermediaries to the Classical world such as Byzantium and the world of Islam. Part of this argument is also a strong defense against the modern description of the Crusades as the pinnacle of cruelty and destructiveness. And in addition to all this, there is a fine supply of contemporary, if reconstructed, music.

Archaeo News (review, site, feed)
Promotional and informative podcast from a general website about archeology called The Stone Pages. The podcast digs into news items in archeology and does so in a very engaged and lively fashion.

History 151c - The Peculiar Modernity of Britain (Berkeley) (review, site, feed)
Professor James Vernon lectures about recent history of Great Britain.

MMW 5 - Revolution, Industry & Empire (UCSD) (review, site, feed)
Professor Heidi Keller-Lapp lectures about world history during the period 1750-1914. A lot of emphasis is given to the development of political thought, especially on the subject of the social contract.

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Chicken in spinach

I love spinach. The preparation of my childhood years, boiled with salt and served with egg and nutmeg, was my starting point when I started cooking myself, but from there I got to know it in pastry and with meat and poultry. My favorite recipe is chicken in spinach and it took me years to perfect it. Just before I came to Israel, I nearly had it right, but then I had to start all over again as the sort of leaves that are sold here as spinach (תרד [tered]) have a slightly different taste, a different texture and a different behavior while cooking. And even though this blog is dedicated to podcast reviewing, since tonight I will be serving my developed chicken in spinach, I'll post the recipe to you.

Here is what you need (family serving):
1 kg drum sticks or chicken legs (I like to remove the skin)
5 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes (without the skin)
2 big onions
500 gr spinach (finely cut)
3 cm fresh ginger (crushed)
25 gr butter
two table spoons olive oil
1 tea spoon turmeric
1 tea spoon garam masala
1 tea spoon ground coriander
1 tea spoon ground cardamom
1/2 tea spoon ground cloves
1/2 tea spoon cayenne pepper (reduce this if you do not like your food to be hot)
salt
250 ml cream for cooking (10% fat)
white rice (I use basmati rice)

Put the oil and the butter on low heat. When the butter starts melting add the ginger, salt, half of the turmeric and the other dry spices. Let this simmer for five minutes - be sure not to let the spices burn, let alone scorch. If necessary, add the chicken earlier. When the spices are thoroughly mixed and start to look like a sauce, add the chicken. Go to medium heat and stir fry the chicken until it gets the color of the sauce all over. Then cover the pan and let it simmer on low heat - make sure nothing scorches. In the mean time cut the onions and the skinned tomatoes. First add the cut onions, stir fry them and as soon as the turn shiny, add the tomatoes. Keep stirring. Cut the garlic (do not crush) and add and turn heat low. Let the chicken boil in the sauce. Put on the rice with the other half of the turmeric. When the chicken is nearly well done, add the spinach. Let it all cook on medium heat until both spinach and chicken are done. Turn the heat off and add the cream.

More recipes:
Yellow soup,
Hot and Sour,
Couscous with Chicken,
Rice, minced meat and burnt eggplant,
Fish with couscous,
Chicken pesto with moong dal rice.

And for those who wish to have some podcasts in this post: While cooking, I listened to two BBC podcasts. In Our Time about Calvinism - good to find out where I come from. And this weeks issue of A History of the World in 100 Objects - about five objects of around 2500 years ago. These are the delightful podcasts of the kind the BBC offers consistently. A History of the World, by the way, has announced to on a break for 'a couple of months'.