Monthly Archives: May 2013

Religious Politics and Protest in France

Posted on May 27, 2013 by briansandberg

Religious political groups have mobilized against France’s new gay marriage law, organizing a massive protest in Paris yesterday, Sunday 26 May. An estimated 150,000 protesters participated in “La Manif pour tous” (the protest for everyone). This phrase is a counterattack … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, French History, Human Rights, Religious History, Religious Politics | Leave a comment

Digital Tools in Archival Research

Posted on May 27, 2013 by briansandberg

Historians have been using digital tools in archival research for some time now, but news media are finally beginning to pay attention to digital humanities. An article in the New York Times reports on historians’ use of digital cameras in … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival Research, Digital Humanities, Graduate Work in History, History in the Media, Humanities Education, Information Management, Undergraduate Work in History | Leave a comment

Saving Manuscripts in Timbuktu

Posted on May 27, 2013 by briansandberg

When Malian rebels and Islamist militants took control of Timbuktu last year, they targeted Sufi shrines and cultural heritage sites they viewed as idolatrous. They also aimed to destroy medieval manuscripts that they consider heretical and secular. Most of Timbuktu’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival Research, Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Museums and Historical Memory, Religious Violence, Revolts and Revolutions, War, Culture, and Society | 1 Comment

Interactive ebooks

Posted on May 26, 2013 by briansandberg

A new generation of ebooks have arrived: interactive ebooks. Readers who remember the Choose Your Own Adventure children’s books and other interactive books of the 1980s will get the idea. An interactive ebook of The Thirty-Nine Steps, a classic spy … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Humanities, History in the Media, History of the Book | Leave a comment

Global Tourism and Graffiti

Posted on May 26, 2013 by briansandberg

Global tourism is putting increasing pressure on historical sites and monuments, as growing numbers of tourists visit major cultural tourist locations around the world. High standards of living, lengthy vacations, and relatively affordable flights have allowed many Western Europeans, Canadians, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Union, Globalization, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory | Leave a comment

Gender Studies Under Fire in France

Posted on May 25, 2013 by briansandberg

The academic field of gender studies is under attack in France. The debate over gay marriage has prompted many French conservative politicians and Catholics to severely criticize gender studies for undermining family relations and traditional society. Conservative political and religious … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, European History, European Union, French History, Humanities Education, Political Culture, Religious Politics, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

A New Curator at the Biennale di Venezia

Posted on May 23, 2013 by briansandberg

The Biennale di Venezia, one of the most famous international annual art exhibitions, has a new curator this year. Massimiliano Gioni, an Italian-born curator who is currently a director at the New Museum in New York, is curating the Biennale, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, European History, European Union, Museums and Historical Memory | Leave a comment

Digital Humanities and the History of the Internet

Posted on May 23, 2013 by briansandberg

Historians are working to study the development of the internet and the World Wide Web, as well as to preserve digital history. Digital humanities needs to grapple with issues of digital preservation and conservation, key aspects of any notion of … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Humanities, Globalization, Humanities Education, Information Management | Leave a comment

The Political and Corporate Interest in MOOCs

Posted on May 23, 2013 by briansandberg

The biggest proponents of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are not professors, but politicians and business leaders. These cheerleaders for MOOCs present university and college faculty members as conservative detractors of their forward-looking plans. The agendas of the political and … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Humanities, Education Policy, Globalization, Humanities Education, Information Management, Undergraduate Work in History | Leave a comment

What MOOCs Can and Cannot Do

Posted on May 22, 2013 by briansandberg

The intense debate about the role of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in higher education continues. Proponents and administrators tout the potential of MOOCs to transform universities, while skeptics question the benefits of these online courses and critics highlight the … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Humanities, Education Policy, Humanities Education, Information Management, Undergraduate Work in History | Leave a comment