Category: Talking History

Talking History

A Golden Ticket: Employing Hypothetical Situations and Questions in the History Classroom

Rosie Click I always loved “choose your own adventure” books as a kid—the excitement of picking right, the risk of picking wrong, the seemingly endless possible combinations of choices and variety of satisfying endings. In some of the books, the perfect ending, known as the “Golden Ticket” ending, can only be achieved by choosing the exact correct combination of paths. The history of the “gamebook,” … Continue reading A Golden Ticket: Employing Hypothetical Situations and Questions in the History Classroom

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Talking History

On Sweaters and Military Incompetence: The Crimean War Through the Lens of Fall Fashion

Joshua Downes The arrival of Autumn and the changing weather means it is time to unbox our jackets and sweaters and look for our mittens and boots. Yet as we don our vests and fleeces one might wonder where all these different articles of clothing came from. It is perhaps no surprise that much of modern fashion has its roots in military wear. From trench … Continue reading On Sweaters and Military Incompetence: The Crimean War Through the Lens of Fall Fashion

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Talking History

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: From Latinidad to Latinidades

João Gabriel Rabello Sodré Latin America is a large and complex region. It comprises various states and peoples, but also a myriad of biomes, geological features, microclimates, among other earthly variations. One may be baffled that a nonstop flight from Los Angeles to São Paulo, Brazil, takes over twelve hours, an hour more than a plane trip to Madrid. The Amazon rainforest covers various countries … Continue reading Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: From Latinidad to Latinidades

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Talking History

Parallels of USSR and US Withdrawals from Afghanistan

Nargis Azaryun  On February 15, 1989, the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan. Over three decades later, on August 31st, 2021, the last United States soldier left Afghanistan. To understand why the USSR and US decided to depart from Afghanistan, it is crucial to learn why they came in the first place. Since its foundation in 1747, Afghanistan has been a battleground for conflicting worldviews. … Continue reading Parallels of USSR and US Withdrawals from Afghanistan

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Talking History

Neo-Tsarist Foreign Policy: From Tsardom to Stardom

Krystel von Kumberg It is important to consider how international security has evolved since Russian Tsardom (1547-1721) and the Russian Empire (1721-1917). Logic would dictate that as new dynamic threats emerge, Russia’s national and foreign security objectives would change, as national and foreign policy largely depend on the staging of the international landscape. However, despite new developments, Putin’s stardom suggests that, on the surface, not … Continue reading Neo-Tsarist Foreign Policy: From Tsardom to Stardom

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Talking History

The Anthropocene Comes to an End: Humans and Nature 

 Zhenhao Yu The Anthropocene is the period of time when humans influence their natural environment in many ways, such as prehistoric agriculture, the Columbian Exchange, the Industrial Revolution, and nuclear power. Although many scholars are debating which historical event marks the beginning of the Anthropocene, I argue that the term Anthropocene itself is problematic in understanding global history, and essentially, the relationship between humans and … Continue reading The Anthropocene Comes to an End: Humans and Nature 

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Talking History

A Window to the Past: How A Political Cartoon Can Help Us Understand Asian Xenophobia in Early 20th Century America

Will Foster In a December 1900 edition of the weekly satirical magazine Judge, US artist Victor Gillam depicted a scene reflective of America’s broader view of China and Chinese people. The image, entitled “Some One Must Back Up,” shows Uncle Sam piloting his “Auto-Truck of Civilization and Trade” across a narrow mountain pathway until he is confronted by a bloody sword wielding Chinese “Boxer” atop … Continue reading A Window to the Past: How A Political Cartoon Can Help Us Understand Asian Xenophobia in Early 20th Century America

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Talking History

Historia y Guerra en la Niebla: Historical Vagueness in Disney’s Encanto

Miguel Ángel Torres Yunda Encanto (2021) details the lives of the Madrigal family and the struggle to heal from generational trauma. From the beginning of Encanto, the film focuses on setting the location of Encanto as a Colombian town by displaying items such as arepas, sombreros vueltiaos, mochilas Wayuu, ajiaco soup, or with Colombia written on maps or painted on the side of a house. … Continue reading Historia y Guerra en la Niebla: Historical Vagueness in Disney’s Encanto

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Talking History

A Triangle of Impossibilities: The Israeli Lebanese Maritime Border

Rawan Chaker Globalization, advances in technology, and intensifying economic competition between states have amplified oceans’ importance in international affairs. Access to maritime spaces means access to natural resources and foreign direct investment. While clearly defined borders are one of the foundations for national sovereignty, these borders become much more ambiguous in maritime spaces. The unique cultural and geopolitical history of the Arab-Israeli conflict has produced … Continue reading A Triangle of Impossibilities: The Israeli Lebanese Maritime Border

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Talking History

Reckoning with the Past: Nazi-Looted Art Restitution in Austria

Kathleen Walsh In 2015, the Austrian Commission for Provenance Research announced that a painting by the famous Austrian artist Gustav Klimt had been restituted to the wrong family. The initial research confused two Klimt paintings that Nazis stole from Jewish families during World War II: “Apple Tree II” and “Roses Under the Trees.” While the heirs of Nora Stiasny–an Austrian Jewish art collector killed in … Continue reading Reckoning with the Past: Nazi-Looted Art Restitution in Austria

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