The Mill Faculty Lecture Series: Hip Hop and Zambian Rock-n-Roll
By: Colin Greaney (History Major, Class of 2013. [In April, Prof. Markle delivered a lecture for The Mill Faculty Lecture Series, a new student-led initiative that provides a space for Trinity faculty to share their research and scholarship]
“The study of hip-hop in academia requires thoughtful consideration of the African diaspora, a largely coerced diffusion of Africans via the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Uniting the various forms and expressions of hip-hop from the Americas, Caribbean, and Europe is the sense of connection, real or imagined, to Africa. Many black artists will speak of “going home” in a spiritual sense, since they – and many generations prior – may never have been to the continent. Out of this academic lens, two other areas are worth consideration. First, scholars who eschew the study of hip-hop cite that the discussion relies too heavily on the character of the Master of Ceremony (MC), and the lyric contents he or she includes. The delivery of lines, the underlying musical influences, and the self-aware approach are all neglected to some degree. This problem was born in part by the music industry’s premium on the economic viability of producing music.”
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LECTURE: Beirut – The Port That Became an Educational Capital
By Duncan Grimm ’15
Thursday, February 14, at the Smith House, Trinity alumna Betty Anderson ’87, Associate Professor of History at Boston University delivered a well-attended lecture on Beirut, Lebanon’s capital city. Presented by the History Department, the International Studies Program, and the Co-Curricular Initiative on Cities, Anderson described how a minor city on the Mediterranean shore became a major trading hub and hotbed of learning throughout the latter half of the nineteenth, and majority of the twentieth centuries, reinvigorated recently in the decades following the Lebanese Civil War.
Today, Beirut is Lebanon’s largest port, responsible for much of the goods that pass in and out of the country. The role of education in this extraordinary urban growth is not lost on Professor Anderson, and is addressed in her 2011 book The American University of Beirut: Arab Nationalism and Liberal Education. Initially seeking to uncover how students of AUB became politicized, Anderson soon discovered that the story of the University lay in Protestant missionary tradition and international intrigue between European nations and the Ottoman Empire.
The Mill Faculty Lecture Series at Trinity College
THE MILL PRESENTS: THE MILL FACULTY LECTURE SERIES:
“The Mill is a diverse group of creative students committed to enhancing the social climate at Trinity College. As a group representing the myriad of social niches on campus, we actively seek new opportunities to promote themes of creativity, innovation and passion. The goal is to unify a vibrant and eclectic student body and improve social culture by fostering the student arts. As a venue, theMill enables creative expression, artistic collaboration and innovative thought.” On Jan 29th, Prof John Alcorn delivered the first lecture on the legalization of drugs. Professors Markle and Seidman of the History Dept. are scheduled to give lectures on their research in April. Mark your calendars!
For more information go HERE and The Mill The Blog.
Mussolini’s Battle For The Roman Past: The Ancient Redesigned
By Duncan F. Grimm (History major, class of 2015)
Welcome to Rome, the Eternal City of many layers and rich history. Despite ages of construction and destruction the city today appears ingeniously planned. A lesser known, or discouraged fact, is that Mussolini and his vision for Rome created this city we experience today. On Thursday, November 1, Professor Borden W. Painter, Jr. (Trinity College ’58) enlightened an audience at the Center for Urban and Global Studies of Mussolini’s Rome, and how the self-proclaimed Marshal of Empire changed the city’s urban landscape. In the 1920s and 1930s his dream of creating a new Imperial Rome completely redesigned the city that we enjoy today. “Mussolini fought many battles,” Painter said, and “he identified chiefly with Augustus.” From 1922 to 1943 Italy was a fascist state; understandably, immediately after the Second World War there was an immediate backlash against all things fascist. In the 1970s and 1980s however, individuals began to adopt a more eclectic view of Il Duce’s Rome–it may be possible to have some good come out of a bad regime.
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“Some Dark Age!” Thursday Common Hour Lecture: Kings, Knights, Poets, and Bankers by Richard W. Kaeuper
By Duncan F. Grimm (History major, class of 2015)
Thursday, 18 October, 2012 – Professor Richard W. Kaeuper of the University of Rochester discussed the Middle Ages with the Trinity community, asking the leading question that at one time or another all historians must face: Why is it important to study the past? While this question seems to plague (no Medieval pun intended) many academics, Kaeuper embraces the challenge. By the end of his lecture, he had fully illuminated the supposed Dark Ages, painting a picture of a pivotal society that had experienced a renaissance before the Renaissance. One of the most intriguing qualities of the Middle Ages, Kaeuper argued, was that comparative to our time, events seem to take place in slow motion, spanning years if not decades before a conclusion is reached. For historians, this pace of change offers a window often not found in an era so critical to the development of Western civilization and the character of the individual.
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Events: History Overshadowed: The Annual Philip C. F. Bankwitz Lecture in French History
By: Duncan F. McN. Grimm (History major, Class of 2015)
This past Thursday, October 4, Professor Jeffrey Jackson of Rhodes College delivered an informative and engrossing lecture on the flooding of Paris during the frigid winter of 1910. An event lesser known by the intellectual and commoner alike, Jackson further highlighted that this landmark event often becomes eclipsed by the volatile political climate of 20th century France, as well as the two subsequent devastating World Wars. Possibly because of its close temporal proximity to the Great War, some historians wonder if the common suffering and eventual surmounting of the flood led to a convergence transcending politics and social classes that enabled citizens of France to act similarly in the trauma of 1914-1918. Regardless of whether the two disaster-reactions are related or not, the fact remains that intensely divided citizens came together in a time of great danger to themselves and their city to help one another survive. Jackson examines through narrating Paris’ strife how this happened.
Professor Joan Hedrick Delivers Annual Wassong Lecture
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| From left to right: Vijay Prashad, George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History and Professor of International Studies; Lida Maxwell, assistant professor of political science; Joseph Wassong IV; Rebecca Skinner; Joan Hedrick, Charles A. Dana Professor of History; Joseph Wassong ’59; Trinity President James F. Jones, Jr.; John Wassong; and Tina Wassong. Photo by Nick Lacy. |
“HARTFORD, CT, April 26, 2012 – Author Harriet Beecher Stowe and Ellen White, prophet and co-founder of Adventism, played instrumental roles in the context of 19th century American Christianity, particularly during the volatile decade of the 1840s, when institutional churches were divided over the issue of slavery. That was one of the major themes of the annual Shirley G. Wassong Memorial Lecture in European and American Art, Culture and History, delivered April 23 by Joan D. Hedrick, Charles A. Dana professor of History and winner of the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Biography for her book, Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life. “The most important parallel between Ellen White and Harriet Beecher Stowe is that for both, visions provided both an oppositional plan and a way forward at a time of group and national confusion, respectively,” said Hedrick. “Both Stowe and White excoriated the complicity of organized religion in perpetuating slavery. Hedrick described that period in U.S. history as a time of great flux, when a number of women became outspoken seers, speakers and writers. Hedrick’s talk largely focused on the role of White, who is not as well known as Stowe, “in the early, radical period of Adventism” and on Stowe’s “religious experiences in decades leading up to the Civil War.” Stowe is best known for her book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an anti-slave novel published in 1852 and which some believed helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century.”
Read entire article HERE.
Lecture: “The Tragedy of Leon Trotsky”
By Jacob Prosnit (Class of 2012)
On Wednesday, April 25th, the Jewish Studies Department and the History Department sponsored a lecture by Joshua Rubenstein entitled, “The Tragedy of Leon Trotsky{. Rubenstein works for Amnesty International and is a long-time associate of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. His latest book, Leon Trotsky: A Revolutionary’s Life was published at Yale University Press in October 2011 and was the basis for the talk. Among many things, Rubenstein discussed Trotsky’s personal life, his rise to power with Lenin, his momentous struggle for power against Stalin and his famous death in Mexico. The afternoon lecture took place at the Hillel House on Vernon Street and was well attended by students and faculty alike.
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Interview with Tom Weiner ’71 on Vietnam draft experience
By: Jake Prosnit (History, Class of 2012)
On Thursday, April 19th, Trinity was treated to a Common Hour lecture, “Called to Serve: Stories of Men and Women Confronted by the Vietnam War Draft,” from Tom Weiner. Author of Called to Serve: Stories of Men and Women Confronted by the Vietnam War (An interview with Tom from Junior Lydia Kay is below), Tom Weiner graduated Trinity in 1971 and his time at Trinity, specifically December 1st, 1969, the night of the draft lottery, is the backdrop of his book. His work tells the story of 30 men and women (even though he interviewed 61) and their memories of being called to serve in Vietnam. Tom Weiner was successful in making the Common Hour less of a lecture and more of a discussion with his audience. He invited Peter Jessop class of 1976 to share some thoughts on Vietnam and Tom’s book. A conscientious objector of the Vietnam War, Peter spoke about the night of the draft lottery (he was #85) and eagerly awaiting the announcement in North Campus (my current dorm). His whole interview is documented in the book. Another Trinity notable, Dr. George Higgins, a 40-year employee of the College, also shared thoughts about being at Trinity during Vietnam and his special role in counseling and diagnosing students.
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Leading Egyptologist Reveals Findings
By: Alyssa Rosenthal (Class of 2013)
From The Trinity Tripod, 21 February 2012
“Trinity welcomed one of the world’s foremost Egyptologists to campus on Wednesday, Feb. 15 to speak about her recent discoveries at Abydos, one of the most ancient cities in Upper Egypt. Associate Professor of Classics Martha Risser introduced Dr. Janet Richards, who was “deliriously happy to be back in New England.” The program was organized by Trinity’s Classics Department and the Hartford Society of the Archeological Institute of America. Richards is currently an Associate Professor of Egyptology in the Near Eastern Studies Department and Associate Curator for Dynastic Egypt at the Kelsey Museum at the University of Michigan. She has been the Field Director at the Abydos Middle Cemetery Project in Egypt since 1995, where her most notable achievement was the discovery of the lost tomb of Weni the Elder, one of the king’s officials, and his lengthy biography. Richards has published books about architecture, art, and society in ancient Egypt. Her most recent publication is titled Order, Legitimacy, and Wealth in Ancient States. Before diving into her presentation, titled “People, Politics, and Piety in Ancient Egypt,” Richards told her listeners she wanted to “bring [them] into the process of discovery.” She situated her findings from the sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt, around 2300 B.C., during the reign of King Pepi I. The great pyramids were built at Giza about a century earlier, during the fourth dynasty.”
Read full article HERE.