March 19, 2012

Christian McWhirter: Musical Theft in the Civil War

Like the often-lamented vicious political rhetoric of modern politics, the phenomenon of using popular songs for political gain is nothing new. During the Civil War, politicians, military officials, and civilians frequently appropriated and revised popular songs for their own purposes. The primary difference is that today’s legal system is robust enough for songwriters and musicians to oppose such usage. Continue Reading Christian McWhirter: Musical Theft in the Civil War

Categories American History/Author blog entry/Civil War/Guest Bloggers/Music/Politics
March 16, 2012

Interview: Jeff Broadwater on the legacy of James Madison

One of his predictions, however, seems on point. Madison wrote in the 1790s that if the federal government grew too much, Congress would be overwhelmed by its responsibilities, power would flow to the president, and presidential elections would become unseemly spectacles. Continue Reading Interview: Jeff Broadwater on the legacy of James Madison

Categories American History/Biography / Autobiography/History/Interviews
March 15, 2012

Karen L. Cox: Republican Candidates in the South: A Confederacy of Dunces. So, too, MSNBC’s Martin Bashir & Co.

[This article is cross-posted from Pop South.] Oh, for goodness sake! The Republican candidates for president went South and the next thing you know Mitt Romney touted “cheesy grits” and practiced saying “ya’ll,” and Rick Santorum adopted a hick accent and told people “I got kin here in Mississippi. I’m not sure. . . (don’t say “what I think about it!”). .… Continue Reading Karen L. Cox: Republican Candidates in the South: A Confederacy of Dunces. So, too, MSNBC’s Martin Bashir & Co.

Categories American Studies/Author blog entry/Columnists/Guest Bloggers/Karen L. Cox/Media Studies/Politics/Southern Studies
March 14, 2012

Interview: Miguel La Serna on research in the aftermath of Peru’s Shining Path insurgency

Any kind of research dealing with living human subjects is sensitive, even more so when it involves recent political violence. One thing I was reminded constantly was that my very presence in the field stirred up a host of issues and anxieties that villagers had either suppressed or were still dealing with. Continue Reading Interview: Miguel La Serna on research in the aftermath of Peru’s Shining Path insurgency

Categories Anthropology/History/Interviews/Latin American/Caribbean Hist./Military Studies/Native Amer./Indigenous Studies/Politics
March 12, 2012

Interview: Michael H. Hunt and Steven I. Levine on America’s quest for empire

Most Americans have been inoculated against the notion that our country can behave like an empire. Therefore, some readers may well find the focus on empire unsettling. After all, we are regularly reminded by our politicians, clergy, teachers, and the media that the U.S. is an exceptional country. We don’t do empire. That’s for the bad guys. We like to believe that whatever America does internationally is for the common good of humanity. As authors, all we ask is that readers consider our general definition of empire on its historical merits and give our treatment of the U.S. case a fair hearing. Continue Reading Interview: Michael H. Hunt and Steven I. Levine on America’s quest for empire

Categories American History/Asian Studies/History/Interviews/Military History/Military Studies/Political Science
March 9, 2012

ACC Tourney Time: Have Patience, Tar Heel Fans

It’s important for Heels fans to remember what Lucas tells us in ‘Carolina Basketball’: while the ACC tournament is important to fans and programs for many reasons, winning on Sunday doesn’t necessarily lead to ultimate success at end of season. Of the last three Tar Heels’ NCAA championship runs, none started by winning the ACC tournament. Continue Reading ACC Tourney Time: Have Patience, Tar Heel Fans

Categories North Carolina/Sports
March 8, 2012

Carrie Hamilton: New Cuban Women

At first glance, the stories of Cuban women in heterosexual relationships seem to confirm clichés about the island’s machismo. But interviews with other men and women tell a subtler story. They show that the Revolution has changed gender relations, even if some patterns are hard to break. Continue Reading Carrie Hamilton: New Cuban Women

Categories Author blog entry/Cuba/Gay / Lesbian Studies/Gender Studies/Guest Bloggers/Sociology/Women's Studies
March 7, 2012

Andre M. Fleche: The “Second American Revolution” in a Global Age

Many scholars have traced the parallels between the American Revolution and the Civil War. But in today’s global age, it is time we recognize that the first American Revolution was not the only revolution to influence America’s Civil War. Continue Reading Andre M. Fleche: The “Second American Revolution” in a Global Age

Categories American History/Author blog entry/Civil War/Global Studies/Guest Bloggers/History
March 6, 2012

Our Spring Sale grows: books in women’s studies and art now half off!

Our 90th anniversary sale expands this month to include select books in women’s studies and art/architecture/craft now 50% off. Free shipping on orders of $75+. Continue Reading Our Spring Sale grows: books in women’s studies and art now half off!

Categories African American Studies/Art / Architecture/Christian Studies/Craft/Gender Studies/Islamic Studies/Jewish Studies/Religion/Sale/Women's Studies
March 6, 2012

Excerpt: Sufi Narratives of Intimacy, by Saʿdiyya Shaikh

It is Cairo on a sweltering afternoon, and the faithful are streaming into a beautiful, simple mosque. The Friday (jumu‘a) prayers are about to begin. In the courtyard, people take their ablutions in the cool fountain water that provides welcome relief from the heat of the Cairene afternoon. A group of women sitting close together is silently reciting the Qur’ān. An old man, his face kissed gently by time, is sitting easily upright with eyes closed, meditating on the beautiful names of God. Two old friends, both returning to the city after years of travel, trade, and learning, are greeting each other with a tender embrace. A young man, hands raised in supplication, is softly murmuring his deepest yearnings into the hearing of the omniscient One. As the call to prayer is given, a hush falls over the crowd, with each person repairing to his or her private supplications before the sermon begins. Continue Reading Excerpt: Sufi Narratives of Intimacy, by Saʿdiyya Shaikh

Categories Excerpts/Gender Studies/Islamic Studies/Middle Eastern Studies/Religion
March 5, 2012

Nadine Cohodas: Nina Simone and Israeli Folk Music

Nina Simone—the High Priestess of Soul to some, a fierce advocate of racial justice to others—would seem to be an unlikely interpreter of Israeli folk songs. Yet in 1962, as her career was taking off, Simone incorporated “Eretz Zavat Chalev” (“The Land of Milk and Honey”) into her repertoire. It proved to be an early example of her eclectic musical taste and one of her initial steps in moving beyond the traditional jazz combo–piano, bass, and drums–an evolution that would cement her place among world-renowned artists.
Continue Reading Nadine Cohodas: Nina Simone and Israeli Folk Music

Categories African American Studies/Author blog entry/Biography / Autobiography/Guest Bloggers/Jewish Studies/Music/Video/Women's Studies
March 1, 2012

Interview: Paul & Angela Knipple on immigrant cuisine around the South

People’s hospitality was amazing, as was their openness. Many people were very proud of their accomplishments. A few were very humble, but fortunately they had cheerleaders, usually in the form of a relative, who helped them share their stories. They were also very excited about giving us recipes. Their food is their life, and you can’t share one without sharing the other. Continue Reading Interview: Paul & Angela Knipple on immigrant cuisine around the South

Categories Cooking / Food/Interviews/Southern Studies/Travel
February 29, 2012

Excerpt: Arc of Empire, by Michael H. Hunt and Steven I. Levine

The history of American empire building and warfare in one region speaks to the current imbroglio across the Middle East and Central Asia in a striking variety of ways. U.S. policymakers have ignored or have deliberately forgotten the lessons from the conflicts in eastern Asia. Continue Reading Excerpt: Arc of Empire, by Michael H. Hunt and Steven I. Levine

Categories Asian Studies/Global Studies/Middle Eastern Studies/Military History/Military Studies/Politics
February 28, 2012

Cynthia A. Kierner: The Third First Family

Thomas Jefferson—arguably the most outspokenly anti-monarchical of all—pioneered the use of family and domesticity as political theater. His daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph, was the star of these shows. Continue Reading Cynthia A. Kierner: The Third First Family

Categories American History/Author blog entry/Biography / Autobiography/Guest Bloggers/History/Women's Studies
February 24, 2012

Excerpt: John Tyler, the Accidental President, by Edward P. Crapol

Never the weeping willow of a creature his enemies loved to mock and deride, President Tyler was a decisive and energetic leader who established several important executive precedents that helped shape the direction of America’s nineteenth-century imperial destiny. Continue Reading Excerpt: John Tyler, the Accidental President, by Edward P. Crapol

Categories American History/Biography / Autobiography/Excerpts/Politics
February 23, 2012

Sarah S. Elkind: Los Angeles and the History of Air Pollution

We have become so used to hearing of regulations–particularly consumer protections like banking rules or the proposed controls on mercury emissions—as threats to prosperity that it has become nearly impossible to imagine these debates in any other way. But in 1940s Los Angeles, controlling air pollution and creating a healthy environment was understood as essential to prosperity, and the business community led the regulatory effort. Continue Reading Sarah S. Elkind: Los Angeles and the History of Air Pollution

Categories American History/Author blog entry/Business/Environmental Studies/Guest Bloggers/History/Public Policy