America, France, and Revolutionary Film

Posted on July 25, 2011 by briansandberg

United States and French histories have been closely intertwined since the American and French Revolutions of the eighteenth century.  American and French identities have been constructed in part through the concepts of sister republics, Franco-American friendship, and military alliance.

Americans and French people often see their cinemas as sharply opposed to each other, however: Hollywood versus French art film.

A recent piece by Richard Brody in the New Yorker online, published in celebration of Bastille Day on 14 July, questions this notion. Brody finds many connections between American and French cinematic histories.

Students in HIST 390 Film and History: War in Film may be interested in this story.

 

Posted in French History, Historical Film, History in the Media | Leave a comment

United States Debt Crisis and the French Revolution

Posted on July 24, 2011 by briansandberg

The current debt crisis in the United States in some ways echoes the financial crisis in monarchical France during the 1780s.

French historian Lloyd Kramer, Professor of History at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has published an interesting op-ed piece comparing these two financial crises.

In many ways the crisis of the king’s debt in pre-revolutionary was very different from today’s arguably artificial crisis in the United States over raising the debt ceiling (which has been raised many times over the past several decades without any serious political crisis).

Nonetheless, Kramer identifies several aspects of the French and American crises that do resemble each other.  Most interesting is his comparison of the Tea Party Republicans to French nobles of the 1780s—based on their complete unwillingness to accept increased taxation on the wealthiest members of their respective societies.

Lloyd Kramer’s op-ed is available online at NewsObserver.

Students of HIST 423 French Revolution and Napoleon will be interested in this piece.

Posted in Comparative Revolutions, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, History in the Media | 3 Comments

Remembering Victims of Norway Attacks

Posted on July 24, 2011 by briansandberg

At least 92 people are dead and another 90 wounded from the bombing and shooting rampage in Norway on Friday 22 July.

As a historian who studies the dynamics of violence, I want to remember the victims of the Norway attacks.

The attacker, who has been identified as a Norwegian right-wing extremist, has apparently written a lengthy revolutionary manifesto.  See stories by NPR, the Guardian, and BBC.

As further information emerges regarding the attacker’s motives, historians of violence will need to analyze these attacks in order to assess violent extremist movements within Europe.  Understanding the dynamics of violence provides us with better opportunities to limit violence in the future.

For now, let us remember the victims of these horrible attacks.

 

Posted in European Union, History of Violence, Terrorism | Leave a comment

150th Anniversary of First Bull Run

Posted on July 24, 2011 by briansandberg

The 150th anniversary of the American Civil War has begun, ensuring that every day over the next four years, there will be commemorations of each battle, skirmish, and political event of the war.

Over 8,000 historical reenactors ventured out into the scorching heat of northern Virginia this weekend to commemorate the first battle of Bull Run, or first Manassas, on 21 July 1861. Thousands of spectators showed up to watch this reenactment of the first major battle of the American Civil War, evoking the many civilians who came to watch the actual battle in 1861.

The first battle of Bull Run occurred when the first major Union advance toward the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, met a Confederate army at Manassas Junction. On 21 July 1861, the Union army attacked the Confederate lines along Bull Run, almost winning the battle, but a counterattack broke the Union troops, who fled north toward Washington. The heavy casualties of approximately 3,000 Union soldiers and 2,000 Confederates brought home the serious nature of the Civil War.

Over the past several decades the battlefield near Manassas has been the focal point of protests and lawsuits to protect American Civil War sites from development. The historical reenactment this weekend thus represents a major victory for many of the reenactors involved in the commemoration.

The Washington Post reports on the reenactment.

Posted in Civil Conflict, Historical Film, History in the Media, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

54th Massachusetts Reenactors

Posted on July 24, 2011 by briansandberg

As the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War unfolds, historical reenactors are enthusiastically commemorating most of the major events of the war.

African-Americans are apparently getting involved in Civil War historical reenactment in increasing numbers. One new group has created a unit to honor the famous 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry, the first African-American regiment of the Civil War whose service was portrayed in the 1989 film Glory.

Historical film and historical reenactment are often closely associated, especially in the case of war films. Filmmakers working on historical subjects frequently rely on reenactors to participate in battle scenes, parade scenes, and camp scenes. Historical reenactors also seem to be an important audience for historical films.

The Washington Post reports on the African-American reenactors who portray the 54th Massachusetts soldiers.

Students in HIST 390 War in Film will be particularly interested in this story.

Posted in Civil Conflict, Historical Film, History in the Media, War in Film, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Controversial Steve Reich WTC Album Cover

Posted on July 22, 2011 by briansandberg

A new album of composer Steve Reich’s music, performed by the Kronos Quartet, is stirring controversy. The album cover uses an iconic September 11 photo of the second plane just before it crashes into the World Trade Center. Reich’s composition, WTC 9/11 deals precisely with the September 11 Attacks, so the choice of photo seems entirely appropriate from a historian’s point of view. Yet, the album cover has already been criticized by some viewers, who regard it as shocking and offensive.

NPR discusses this story online. Graduate students who took my recent course, HIST 640 Religious Violence in Comparative Perspective, will be interested in this story. The story also is important for students working on commemoration and historical memory.

 

Posted in Contemporary Art, Music History, Religious Violence, Terrorism | Leave a comment

E-Book Revolution Transforms Publishing Course

Posted on July 19, 2011 by briansandberg

An e-book revolution has been gathering steam and transforming the world of books for at least a decade now.  Academic researchers and writers have been following the changes closely, and participating in many of the new initiatives.  Historians have participated actively in developing e-journals, e-books, multimedia book/DVDs, the e-Gutenberg project, humanities digitization projects, blogs, and web resources.

Meanwhile, the entire publishing industry has been in seemingly perpetual crisis over the past generation. The growth of big box bookstores, the rise of Amazon.com, the decline of independent booksellers, and the weakening of college bookstores have all forced adaptations by academic and independent publishers.  University and independent presses have had to respond to broad market forces and new technologies, often at the cost of less rigorous attention to excellence in publishing.

Now, one of the most important university courses preparing future publishers is getting a radical make-over.  The course at Columbia University is now trying to assess the emerging directions of the ongoing e-book revolution and prepare a new generation of publishers for a radically altered publishing landscape.

The New York Times reports on the course.

 

 

Posted in Academic Publishing, Digital Humanities, Education Policy, History of the Book | Leave a comment

French Rocker in American Press

Posted on July 16, 2011 by briansandberg

It is rare to see French rock music discussed in American popular culture, but the New York Times ran a fairly long story today about the iconic French rocker Johnny Hallyday.

Johnny Hallyday is an aging rock star and national hero to many French people, who still flock to his concerts. He has crafted dozens of hit albums and done numerous tours across Europe.

Over the past decade, his political commentaries and his criticisms of the French tax code have angered some of his fans, however. His highly-publicized departure from France as a tax exile to Switzerland a few years ago raised a public debate about tax policies and the responsibilities of the rich within French society.

The New York Times reports on Hallyday’s health struggles and his continuing work.

Students of French history will enjoy discovering Johnny Hallyday and his music.

Posted in French History, Music History | Leave a comment

The Fall of the Faculty

Posted on July 15, 2011 by briansandberg

What is the biggest problem in American universities?

According to Benjamin Ginsberg, a Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University, it is the growth of university administration. Ginsberg describes this growth as “administrative blight,” which has come at the expense of faculty leadership and autonomy at universities—hence the title of his new book, The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why it Matters.

Ginsberg traces the dramatic growth of “deanlings” and other administrators over the past several decades. Across the United States, the number of university administrators has grown by 85% between 1975 and 2005, while the number of professional staff (i.e., bureaucrats) has grown by a shocking 240% in the same period! During the same period of time, faculty positions have only grown by a meager 51%.

Students and parents who are concerned about access to universities and the cost of tuition should examine the growth of administrative and bureaucratic positions closely. Most of the administrative positions, and many of the bureaucratic ones, command higher salaries than faculty positions.

Want to control the price of higher education? Examine cuts in excessive bureaucracy and extraneous student “services” (entertainment, recreation, sports, etc.) that are peripheral to the educational mission of universities.

Inside Higher Ed has an interview with Benjamin Ginsberg. Thanks to Taylor Atkins and Rebecca Hannagan for the link. I am looking forward to reading Ginsberg’s book.

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Humanities Education | 1 Comment

Genealogist Challenges DAR

Posted on July 15, 2011 by briansandberg

Amateur genealogist Wayne Bates is challenging the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) over the rejection of his relative’s application for recognition of their ancestor as a veteran of the Continental Army during the American War of Independence. Wayne Bates is contesting the rejection and questioning the DAR’s policies.

This clash raises interesting issues for historians, who do not engage in genealogy but who deal with historical records of families from the past. Historians have to grapple with contested conceptions of family and lineage, which have not been stable in the past. Members of the current Bates “family” is here trying to establish a fixed Bates “lineage” to support their current aims and agendas. The DAR is defending its definitions of “lineage” and military service in the interests of its current members and their lineages. Family history thus intersect with family politics at the heart of this clash.

Historians often encounter genealogists and their research. Academic historians work alongside genealogists, both amateur and professional, in archives around the world. Historians of the family routinely use genealogies that have been produced by genealogists in the past, even though these sources are incredibly complex and problematic as historical sources. Genealogy, family history, and local history are major areas of interest for many people who have never studied history as an academic subject.

History students and professional historians arguably need to become more aware of the multiple encounters between history and genealogy.

The Washington Post reports on the story.

Posted in Archival Research, Comparative Revolutions | Leave a comment