Historical Topics

Part II: What’s on my Cherry Blossom playlist? A personal exploration of the music history behind my favorite songs for spring

Sareena Dubey With Cherry Blossom Season just around the corner, I’m excited to unveil this year’s carefully curated selection of cherry blossom viewing music. This collection features a delightful mix of groovy tunes with compelling backstories. Join me as I explore some of my favorite tracks for this magical time of year and uncover the fascinating tales behind them. “Oh Honey” stands as an iconic … Continue reading Part II: What’s on my Cherry Blossom playlist? A personal exploration of the music history behind my favorite songs for spring

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Op-ed

Reflections on Prisons and Dark Tourism in Cartagena, Colombia

Rosie Click “See that building there? That used to be a women’s prison,” said my friend as we walked down a narrow street in the old walled portion of Cartagena, Colombia. The large, white building had peeling layers of white-ish paint and appeared abandoned. What was this doing in the middle of the most tourist-dense area of one of the most sought-after destinations in Colombia? … Continue reading Reflections on Prisons and Dark Tourism in Cartagena, Colombia

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Historical Topics

Mapping History: Using ArcGIS to Make History More Accessible

Rae Neville “A map does not just chart, it unlocks and formulates meaning; it forms bridges between here and there, between disparate ideas that we did not know were previously connected.”  – Reif Larsen, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet Mapping and other forms of digital visualization offer unique opportunities to academics wishing to make their work more accessible to the public. As a historian … Continue reading Mapping History: Using ArcGIS to Make History More Accessible

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Historical Topics, Op-ed

Blue and Gray: Georgetown and a Discussion of the Causes of the Civil War

Bryan Checo No longer can statues dedicated to Confederates or Confederate flags be allowed to be displayed in public, nor should any other form of memorial or commemoration. Their removal is not erasing history but erasing false history—a course correction that should have occurred during Reconstruction. Included in these commemorations are the colors of Georgetown University–blue and gray–which were chosen to represent the newfound unity … Continue reading Blue and Gray: Georgetown and a Discussion of the Causes of the Civil War

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Historical Topics

From the Footnote Archives: Staff Favorites

Some of the Footnote staff members have gone back through the archives to find some of our favorite articles from the past few years! Hopefully we will inspire you to take a journey back through the Footnote catalog and recall some of your favorites, too. Rae Neville, Outreach Coordinator: “Romance and Nostalgia in the Coffeehouse” by Kathleen Walsh Coffee is a huge part of my … Continue reading From the Footnote Archives: Staff Favorites

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Historical Topics

Panda Politics and Oxen Ordeals: The Politics of U.S.-China Animal Diplomacy

Shawn Liu In early February last year, Chinese internet users on the popular social media platform Weibo began voicing concern over pictures of Yaya, a Chinese panda at the Memphis Zoo in the U.S. The picture circulated online shows Yaya sitting against a bamboo pole, seemingly malnourished and emaciated. These users accused the Memphis Zoo of subjecting Yaya the panda, a sacred Chinese animal, to … Continue reading Panda Politics and Oxen Ordeals: The Politics of U.S.-China Animal Diplomacy

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Historical Topics, Op-ed

On Culture, Repression, and Diplomacy: Thoughts and Tantrums from a PhD Student, Vol II

Victoria Saeki-Serna On October 2nd, 1968, the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Mexico City turned into a mass grave. At 6:10 pm on the cue of a red flare, soldiers and undercover agents sent by president Gustavo Diaz Ordaz rained gunfire on an assembly of university students and their allies gathered to protest the absence of political rights in the country. They blocked exits, arrested those they … Continue reading On Culture, Repression, and Diplomacy: Thoughts and Tantrums from a PhD Student, Vol II

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Historical Topics

What’s on my Fall to Winter Playlist: A personal exploration of the music history behind my favorite songs for the changing season

Sareena Dubey As the days become shorter and trees shed their leaves, I find warmth in wool and comfort in familiar melodies. During this shift, my voracious exploration of obscure musical genres diminishes as a stronger desire to reconnect with nostalgic tunes takes over. This phenomenon culminates in a seasonal tradition I deem the changing of the playlists where songs from my past hold my … Continue reading What’s on my Fall to Winter Playlist: A personal exploration of the music history behind my favorite songs for the changing season

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Historical Topics

The Politics of Victory Gardens

Rosie Click During World War II, families in the US planted more than 4.8 million victory gardens to supplement the domestic food supply. The US government encouraged the victory garden program as a way for Americans on the homefront to support the troops by freeing up other food resources to be sent overseas. USDA victory garden promotional documents show that the government considered the various … Continue reading The Politics of Victory Gardens

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Historical Topics

I’ll Get you my Pretty!: Witches as the Other in Early Modern Europe

Mallory Page “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!” – The Wicked Witch of the West  As a child, I was terrified of the Wicked Witch of the West, hiding under blankets when the witch would pop up and threaten Dorothy and the Munchkins.  If I were to ask you to draw a witch, you would most likely draw an old woman … Continue reading I’ll Get you my Pretty!: Witches as the Other in Early Modern Europe

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