Atlantic History - NBIH

Here is a quick recommendation about one of the recent episodes of New Books in History. Marshall Poe spoke with Jack Greene and Philip Morgan about the book they edited which is a critical appraisal of a field called Atlantic History.

They explain how at one time the joint histories of Africa, Europe and the Americas was combined into a composite narrative about the exchange that took place between the four continents especially from the age of exploration until the later days of imperialism - though the field could be taken larger than that. What started off as a composite, developed into a field with its various specialties, divisions and opinions.

As part of a series about reinterpreting history, published by the National History Center and Oxford University press, their book came out mapping out this field of Atlantic History. More publications are expcected and they will also be high-lighted in NBIH.

More NBIH:
Political rationalizations in Nazi-Germany,
Whalen / Rohrbough,
Confronting the bomb,
Henry Hudson's fatal journey,
Substance abuse in the midwest.

Edith Cavell - Veertien Achttien

Over de podcast Veertien Achttien (feed) kan ik niet genoeg de loftrompet steken. Inmiddels ben ik wat dat betreft in een steeds ruimer gezelschap. Getuige niet alleen de commentaren op mijn recensies, maar ook de lovende besprekingen bij VPRO's OVT en deze week in het Historisch Nieuwsblad.

De laatste aflevering was ook weer geweldig. Tom Tacken vertelde het verhaal van Edith Cavell, de Britse verpleegster die door de Duitsers werd terechtgesteld op verdenking van spionage. Tacken neemt dze biografie als voorbeeld van nog weer een speciaal fascinerend aspect van de Eerste Wereldoorlog: de propaganda. Meer nog dan ooit was propaganda nodig om de oorlogsmachine draaiende te houden. En het verhaal van Cavell, hoewel ook gebruikt in de Duitse propaganda, speelt toch vooral een betekenisvolle rol in de Britse en Amerikaanse propaganda.

Fascinerend ook zijn uiteindelijk de laatste woorden die van Cavell zijn opgetekend. Juist ook in verband met die propaganda. Daar waar de propaganda juist het middel is om patriottisme te voeden en je onwillekeurig denkt aan analyses die stellen dat nationalisme de nieuwe religie was, stelt Cavell dat patriottisme niet genoeg was. Voor haar werk als verpleegster in oorlogsgebied stelde zij de naastenliefde voorop. En dat roept twee gedachtes op: is de oude religie toch sterker? en ook: Is nationalisme een religie zonder naastenliefde?

Meer Veertien Achttien:
Rudyard Kipling, (speciaal aanbevolen)
Ferdinand I van Bulgarije,
Veertien Achttien in transit,
Pegoud, Grimm - Veertien Achttien,
Emmeline Pankhurst.

Albert Camus - Entitled Opinions

Over the last months I have grown very fond of the podcast Entitled Opinions. The last episode I reviewed is a perfect example of why: the podcast had the audacity to take on the ideas of the Unabomber and take us on a critical tour through his world. This is Entitled opinions: an exercise in culture that is not taking the easy roads and also courageous to dig deep.

And so, because I was thrilled by that issue, I went deep into the backlog and dug up another conversation with the same participants. This time about my favorite writer of all time: Albert Camus. And also with him, they took not the easy road and had the courage to dig deep. Camus, who is so frequently portrayed as an almost saintly visionary, doesn't come out as the great philosopher or the righteous figure. Yet, this tormented man, who died too early, still wrought some influential works that are still relevant today.

They also paid attention to my favorite quote of Camus: If I have to choose between justice and my mother, I choose my mother. This is not taken as the powerful stance, that I see in it, so I will happily turn you to listen to this wonderful episode of Entitled opinions. But let me say that Camus understood that justice was more of an emotion than a rational idea. And I would add, that justice is more of a bundle of principles that require a complex balancing act and that can always surprise in special circumstances - the mother.

More Entitled Opinions:
Unabomber world views,
Byzantine Culture,
Jimi Hendrix,
Nietzsche,
Romanticism.

What is podcasting in 3 minutes

Here is a video that simply explains about podcasting.

VIS 22 - Formations of Modern Art

The UCSD lecture series VIS 22 - Formations of Modern Art is a very interesting, inspired and at times (I expect) very entertaining lecture series in Art History by the expressive professor William Bryson. (feed) This semester it is back. I went through the whole cycle last year - much to my satisfaction.

Bryson takes the audience on a tour through the art of painting from the 17th to the 19th century with inspired and informative analysis of specific works, which can be found on the course website. Guided by Bryson we get thoroughly acquainted with assorted artists, mostly from France - or so it went last year. This year the first two lecture were missed in the feed and it only starts with the third.

In addition to the teaching in art history, Bryson's lectures are very valuable in that, that they give a complete cultural frame of reference to the works that are being discussed. Such a frame of reference, apart from being highly instructive to the work of art, give a fine picture of the culture and time in which the work was created. And I am sure that this gives the kind of insight anybody would be interested in, who wants to know more of that history, regardless of the painting.

More about Formations of Modern Art:
Renoir and Slumming,
Formations of Modern Art.

Preserving Ojibwe - Speaking of Faith

Over the Ramadan, Speaking of Faith has spent a lot of time on talking Islam and the Ramadan in particular. I wanted to pick at least some issue from that long series, but didn't find the time. Only now, I have returned once more to this good podcast (feed) and found an interview with David Treuer about language and meaning.

The thoughts on language and meaning are applied to the native American language Ojibwe. Although Treuer had to acquire Ojibwe at a later age, it is fundamentally a language he needs to express meaning, especially related to the culture, identity and life of him as an Ojibwe Indian. Together with his brother Anton, he is involved in a project preserving this language. His stories on the show are about the special qualities of the language and the specifics they express, fro him and for his study subjects. The conversation holds that it takes the Ojibwe language, to capture certain meanings and that English cannot do that.

Therefore, it is a plea for the conservation of specific language, native American and otherwise, although many of them are in danger of extinction. Treuer, in this, is the representative of the Ojibwe, but already while listening, I wondered how an Indian and his brother can have such German sounding names. And it turns out that they are the sons of a holocaust survivor from Austria. That aspect is no touched upon during the program, but can be found in the uncut version of Krista Tippett's interview with David Treuer (mp3 download).

More Speaking of Faith:
The story and God,
Fragility and Humanity,
The Sunni-Shia divide and the future of Islam,
Wangari Maathai,
Rumi.