Salvador and Brazilian identity

A view of modern Salvador as seen from Bonfim.

Here's a quote from one of your papers on Sidbury that caught my eye as I was reviewing the Reis book:

Sidbury sees the use of “Africa” and the idea of Africanness in the writings and institutions of black Americans as “rhetorical constructions of the nation ” similar to those that occurred “in Anglo-American political thought”.

Finally, here's the church of Senhor de Bonfim... site of the Islamic/candomble syncretism Reis talks about -- which is on display in this image.

Final paper questions

Here are the two versions of the question we narrowed down in class on 11-23. Regardless of which one is finally chosen [note the cunning use of passive voice to obscure how this is going to happen], I will be looking for a thesis statement in your first paragraph that answers the question. Then you've got roughly 10 to 15 pages to prove to me that your thesis works! In the process you'll hopefully demonstrate your mastery of these books and your understanding of how each fits into the field of transatlantic studies.

In spite of the many methodological and philosophical divisions among scholars who have worked on topics within the "Age of Atlantic Revolutions," what are the essential underlying similarities and shared understandings of this concept? Discuss this question, using the 8 books we have read this semester.

and

Is the Age of Atlantic Revolution a useful concept? With so many differing interpretations, how can we speak of a single Age of Atlantic Revolution? Discuss this question, using the 8 books we have read this semester.

Eddie Izzard ... as promised

I meant to play this at the end of the semester! Thought you might enjoy it anyway ...

It's the British comedian Eddie Izzard, from his 1999 HBO show Dress to Kill, which should be required viewing for history majors. It's fun, but there is a lot of casual profanity, so don't watch if that upsets you. The show is available on DVD but you can find many of the best bits on YouTube.


Thanks, Mylynka!! She sent me the Lego version of the Eddie Izzard skit -- which reminded me to put this up in the first place! Not only is it much briefer but there's no profanity, which makes it easier to show to younger students.

Google Docs

If you didn't get an email message from me around November 16 or 17 with a link to access the Google Doc page we’re using to edit a question for the final paper, here's alternative. Click on the link below to go to the doc [a kind of on-line word processor, if you haven't used it before] and make your edits.

Here's the link.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Dr. G.

Tonight [Nov 9]

I have the Dubois papers graded and will be uploading them just before class.
More Zotero busy-work -- next time I'd like to see you insert not only a Zotero footnote [yes, I checked ...] but a Zotero footnote with a comment inserted in addition to 2 citations. Confused? i'll demonstrate tonight.

New Atlantic History at the American Historical Assocation Meeting

Interested in what is going on across the country in terms of TransAtlantic history scholarship? This year the American Historical Association has put the program of its annual meeting [San Diego January 6-10, 2010] on-line in a searchable format. This includes the descriptions of the individual papers, so there's a lot more information there about each session.

One special attraction for scholars of Atlantic history is a special roster of papers gathered under the heading Slaving Paths: Rebuilding and Rethinking the Atlantic World. Take a look!