Congratulations to Our Class of 2020 History Thesis Writers!
By Brendan W. Clark ’21
Editor; History Major
Congratulations to four of the History Department’s senior majors who presented the culmination of a year’s worth of research and study this past Friday!
Despite the difficulties which beset the end of their work from the coronavirus crisis, Gillian Reinhard ’20, Aidan Turek ’20, William Tjeltveit ’20, and Connor Struyk ’20 presented their research to the department’s faculty and friends via thoughtful presentations on Zoom.
Reinhard’s thesis, “Orientalist Opera: Western Perceptions of the Other in the Early Twentieth Century,” focused on the premiere of Giaccomo Puccini’s Turandot at the Royal Opera House in London during the 1920s. Reinhard relied on a variety of primary source material and newspaper coverage of the premiere and sought to examine the place and extent of Orientalism in the British imagination. Drawing on scholarship from noted British historians Robert Bickers, Sarah Cheang, and John MacKenzie, Reinhard also argued for a greater recognition of the opera as serving the imperialist ambitions of the British Empire. You can read more about Reinhard and her thesis, which were profiled by History@Trinity in November, here.
History Majors Awarded Prizes At 68th Honors Day Ceremony
By Brendan W. Clark ’21
Editor; History Major
The History Department gave six awards at the 68th annual Honors Day Ceremony on Friday, May 4th, 2018. Honors Day was introduced as part of a revival of “academic pageantry” by the Thirteenth President of the Trinity, George Keith Funston ’32, in 1950. At Honors Day, all undergraduate awards–excluding those disseminated at Commencement–are given out in the Chapel (Trinity College in the Twentieth Century).
Congratulations to all the History Department students recognized for their outstanding undergraduate scholarship!
The History Department’s Senior Thesis Presentations of 2018
By Gillian Reinhard ’20
Contributing Writer; History Major
On Wednesday, May 2, thesis writers from the class of 2018 presented the culmination of their year-long research projects with topics ranging from Russian Communist influence in twentieth-century China to studies of the environment on the New England coast. Each thesis is the result of countless hours of independent study and serves as a significant achievement for a history major.
The first presenter, Elenore Saunders, introduced her thesis titled “The Bluefish, an Unsolved History: Spencer Fullerton Baird’s Window into Southern New England’s Coastal Fisheries.” This project examined the bluefish, a species of fish that has historically been tied to the disease epidemics of indigenous populations in early America. Ms. Saunders also explored the negative stigma placed on the species and historical comparisons of the fish to wolves.
Celebrating Black History Month at Trinity College
Written by: Callie Prince (History, Class of 2017)
As students return from long winter breaks, the end of January seems a bleak and uncelebrated time. While walking through unplowed snow to eat at Mather once again, many students will wish to return to lazy days at home. For those of us involved with Multi-Cultural organizations or clubs on campus, the return to school also means extensive planning for Black History Month. February not only marks Valentine’s Day and President’s Day, but also an entire month dedicated to the celebration of African American History. The entire month is a time to dedicate oneself and effort to creating events that tie into this certain part of American history. For the Black Student Union groups this is an opportunity to work together towards a common goal on campus. However for many of us the stories of Madam C.J. Walker, W.E.B. Dubois, Martin Luther Kind Jr., and many more are repeatedly heard from kindergarten through High school. Everyone should know that George Washington Carver was a inventor and “The Peanut Man”, but also that Thurgood Marshall was the first African American Supreme Court Justice. However, this creates an interesting dilemma for planning Black History Month at Trinity. As members of the Black Student Organizations, it is our job to both lead the celebrating and sharing of African American history, while keeping the events relevant and engaging.
“Hartford Hip Hop: Then and Now”
A Conversation on hip hop in Hartford during the 1980s-1990s and how the culture has evolved to the present featuring Empress Nijuabi, a Hartford based emcee who was a member of the pioneering hip hop group Palm Expedition and Seth Markle, Associate Professor and Faculty Advisor to the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival.
When: Thursday, November 3rd, 6-7:30pm
Where: Hartford History Center, Hartford Public Library (downtown)
Free and open to the public.
“Headstrong”: A Photo Exhibit on the Haitian Diaspora in Hartford
By Sara Kippur, Associate Professor, Language and Culture Studies
As part of my first-year seminar course on “Francophone Hartford,” and with the immense help and guidance of Professor Pablo Delano (Studio Arts) a photo exhibition and reception was held on October 20th for Haitian photographer Marc-Yves Régis’s work. Marc is a Haitian-born Hartford resident whose photos about Haiti’s economic and social burdens resonate powerfully today.The opening reception for the exhibition was held at Trinity’s Broad Street Gallery (1283 Broad St.), and Marc was there to talk about his work. History major, Seth Browner, attended and helped organize this event while serving as my first-year seminar mentor/teaching assistant. This exhibit can be viewed until November 7 via appointment only. (contact. sara.kippur@trincoll.edu). Photographs by Pablo Delano.
Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival Program, April 7–10, 2016
From its creation in academic year 2005–2005 by a group of Trinity College students as a vehicle to “combat the disunity, segregation, and violence of Hartford, CT and Trinity College,” the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival always has close ties with several History majors and faculty.
One its co-founders, for example, was Jason P. Azevedo ’08, currently a career U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Officer specialized on Africa and Brazil.
Since 2009, History and International Studies Assistant Professor Seth Markle has served as the main academic advisor to Trinity Chapter of Temple of Hip Hop and annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival.
As the coordinating group has put it, from the beginning the festival’s main strategies and goals have been using a “the historically education-oriented and politically revolutionary medium — Hip Hop – and focusing on its global potency and proliferation, the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival works to unify Trinity College, the city of Hartford, and the Globe.”
This year’s program, includes lectures and panel discussions with a variety of scholars, artists, and community activists; film screenings, graffiti and photo exhibits, workshops, and performances, including Dance Event / B-Boy Battle on Friday, April 8th (7pm–2am), the Saturday April 9th (8pm-2am) Hip Hop Concert, featuring Rakim and several other MCs and DJs. The festival ends on Sunday, April 10th with a DJ showcase and the Iron Poet Slam Competition.
You can find the Festival’s FULL PROGRAM here: 2016 Program for the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival – We hope to see you there!
Trinity Film Festival 2012
“The festival will be held on May 5th at the nationally acclaimed Cinestudio Theater (cinestudio.org) on the campus of Trinity College. For over 40 years, Cinestudio has promoted the art of film at Trinity and in the greater Hartford area. Adopting this same spirit, the Trinity Film Festival seeks to bring together student filmmakers from the northeast and all over the country to receive the opportunity to meet fellow filmmakers and to premier their works on the big screen in front of a packed audience. Whether enrolled at a university with a large film program or one with no film program at all, we encourage undergraduate students to make short films and enter for the chance to see their films premiered in Cinestudio. An eclectic panel of filmmakers, professors, celebrities, and film enthusiasts will judge the films and award cash prizes to the winners. Ultimately, the audience will have the opportunity to vote on the grand prize winner. After the festival screenings, a red carpet awards banquet will be held for all to attend. Food and festivities will commence as the judges deliberate on the awards, culminating in the awards ceremony and a Q&A with the judges.” For more information go HERE.