By Marie-Pierre Ulloa
The Stanford Humanities Center and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) are pleased to announce that four international scholars have been chosen to come to Stanford in 2012-13 as part of a jointly sponsored international program entering its fourth year. Nominated by Stanford departments and research centers, the international scholars will be on campus for four-week residencies. They will have offices at the Humanities Center and will be affiliated with their nominating unit, the Humanities Center, and FSI.
A major purpose of the residencies is to bring high-profile international scholars into the intellectual life of the university, targeting scholars whose research and writing engage with the missions of both the Humanities Center and FSI.
The following scholars have been selected for the upcoming academic year:
Maha Abdel-Rahman (April 2013) is a Lecturer in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, and an Egyptian academic and activist. She holds a PhD from the Dutch Institute of Social Studies. While at Stanford, she will research the relationship between social movements and civil society in Egypt, and will give seminars based on her book project, On Protest Movements and Uprisings: Egypt’s Permanent Revolution. She was nominated by the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies.
Mohamed Adhikari (May 2013) is an Associate Professor in the Historical Studies Department at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He will explore the relationship between European settler colonialism and genocide in hunter-gatherer societies, and will bring to campus a comparative perspective on genocide, race, identity and language. His latest publication, The Anatomy of a South African Genocide: The Extermination of the Cape San Peoples (2010) was the first to deal with the topic of genocide in the South African context. He will also present from his edited book, Invariably Genocide?: When Hunter-gatherers and Commercial Stock Farmers Clash, due for publication in 2013. He was nominated by the Center for African Studies.
Nuray Mert (October 2012) is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul University. She is a political observer and contributor to Turkey’s major newspapers (Milliyet and Hûrriyet Daily News), one of the few contemporary Turkish public intellectuals with an academic background and a journalist’s investigative mind. An outspoken critic on sensitive issues in the Turkish context such as rights of minorities (the Kurdish Question), freedom of religion and of press, she will lecture on the geopolitical implications of the Arab Spring for Turkey and the Middle East, and on Turkey’s accession to the European Union in light of the financial crisis of the Euro-zone. She was nominated by the Mediterranean Studies Forum.
Te Maire Tau (February 2013) is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. His work explores the role of myth in Maori culture, the resolution of boundaries between the Maori and the New Zealand government, and where tribal/indigenous knowledge systems fit within the wider philosophy of knowledge. During his residency, he will examine how Pacific peoples adapted western knowledge systems, not just with regard to western technology but in more theoretical areas such as the pre-Socratic philosophers and the 19th century scientists. He will also focus on the migration of traditions from the Tahitian-Marquesas Island group to the outer lying island of Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaii). He was nominated by the Woods Institute for the Environment.
In addition to the jointly-sponsored program with FSI, the Humanities Center will also bring international visitors from France and India
as part of the international programs at the Humanities Center.
Denis Lacorne (January 2013) is a prominent French public intellectual and Professor of Political Science at CERI (Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales) Sciences Po in Paris. Lacorne will give presentations on French and American notions of religious toleration, deriving from his latest book on US and French secularism which demonstrates that, despite some striking similarities between US secularism and French laïcité, the secularization of French society has followed a different path from that of American society. He was nominated by the French Culture Workshop and the History Department.
Himanshu Prabha Ray (May 2013) is an historian of Ancient India at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, where she works in the fields of ancient India and maritime archaeology. During her residency, she will discuss and finalize her current book project, Return of the Buddha: Ancient Symbols for Modern India, as well as her research on the creation of a public discourse around Buddhism in the colonial and post-colonial period in India. The Buddha, in her account, is not statically located in history, but rather contested within settings of colonialism, post-colonialism and nation-building. She was nominated by the Classics Department, with the support of the Department of Religious Studies, the Center for South Asia, the Ho Center for Buddhist Studies, and the Archaeology Center.
While at Stanford, the scholars will offer informal seminars and public lectures and will also be available for consultations with interested faculty and students. For additional information, please contact Marie-Pierre Ulloa.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Globalization and History Education
By Chris Williams
By now, everyone knows that we live in a globalized world. Case in point: a high school classroom in San Jose, California could contain students from Mexico, Argentina, South Korea, France, Brazil, Canada, and South Africa, to name a few, not to mention those born in the United States. Yet in that San Jose classroom, in classrooms across the country and around the world, history is often presented in a very narrow way, usually focusing only on history as it affects a given nation. Global history, in a truly interconnected format, is almost always left out of the curriculum entirely.
Mario Carretero, FSI-Humanities Center International Visitor and Bliss Carnochan Visitor for 2012 at the Stanford Humanities Center, and Sam Wineburg, Director of the Stanford History Education Group, are involved in an ongoing research project on this issue. During Carretero’s residency this winter, they traded ideas about how history education should be changed to reflect our globalized world and new media.
“We have an important challenge to face right now,” Carretero remarked. “Both [national and global] views have weaknesses and strengths. The simple way would be to just modify history education to become more globalized and cosmopolitan. But it’s not so easy. It’s important to consider that national history plays a very important role in identity construction.” In other words, students need to understand their nation’s history to form a concept of themselves as citizens of that nation. On the other hand, students also need to understand how their nation fits in the context of the larger world.
“The educational and psychological question,” Wineburg agreed, “is how do we sufficiently de-center youth, so they can embrace a much more synoptic view of history, while at the same time recognizing that the raison d’être for having history education in the curriculum is to create citizens who share a national story.”
Wineburg continued, “As we see the movement toward global history, we see an interesting irony that many nation-states tell themselves they are engaging in international histories and global histories, while what they are really doing is refracting global historical topics through the prism of a national lens.”
Striking a balance between national and global history will be difficult, particularly when one considers the large immigrant populations in many countries. Trying to create citizens who share a common story, when most of those citizens in fact have completely different stories, almost seems an oxymoron. The result, Carretero concluded, “is that most of the immigrants then have a hard time assimilating into their new culture.” This makes sense. Immigrants, holding with their identities, will find it difficult or even impossible to relate to the wholly different identities taught in school textbooks.
Speaking about how history education can be changed to reflect the new globalized world, Carretero argued, “We need to think about not only which topics we include in our curriculum, but what kind of questions the students should ask and answer.” Students need to think not just about their identity as a citizen of their nation, but also about their identity as a citizen of the world.
For example, many high school students in the United States currently learn about the Vietnam War. They learn primarily from an American vantage point, how the war was received “at home.” Let us imagine the effect this must have on Vietnamese-American students, many of whom are in the United States because of this very war! These are the realities of a global classroom: a place in which national identities and histories are constantly in formation.
If new global history methods work, students will begin to see that any one part of the past does not happen in isolation, but rather in an interconnected and complex web across countries and cultures. Then we will develop not only national identity, but truly global citizens.
By now, everyone knows that we live in a globalized world. Case in point: a high school classroom in San Jose, California could contain students from Mexico, Argentina, South Korea, France, Brazil, Canada, and South Africa, to name a few, not to mention those born in the United States. Yet in that San Jose classroom, in classrooms across the country and around the world, history is often presented in a very narrow way, usually focusing only on history as it affects a given nation. Global history, in a truly interconnected format, is almost always left out of the curriculum entirely.
Mario Carretero, FSI-Humanities Center International Visitor and Bliss Carnochan Visitor for 2012 at the Stanford Humanities Center, and Sam Wineburg, Director of the Stanford History Education Group, are involved in an ongoing research project on this issue. During Carretero’s residency this winter, they traded ideas about how history education should be changed to reflect our globalized world and new media.
“We have an important challenge to face right now,” Carretero remarked. “Both [national and global] views have weaknesses and strengths. The simple way would be to just modify history education to become more globalized and cosmopolitan. But it’s not so easy. It’s important to consider that national history plays a very important role in identity construction.” In other words, students need to understand their nation’s history to form a concept of themselves as citizens of that nation. On the other hand, students also need to understand how their nation fits in the context of the larger world.
“The educational and psychological question,” Wineburg agreed, “is how do we sufficiently de-center youth, so they can embrace a much more synoptic view of history, while at the same time recognizing that the raison d’être for having history education in the curriculum is to create citizens who share a national story.”
Wineburg continued, “As we see the movement toward global history, we see an interesting irony that many nation-states tell themselves they are engaging in international histories and global histories, while what they are really doing is refracting global historical topics through the prism of a national lens.”
Striking a balance between national and global history will be difficult, particularly when one considers the large immigrant populations in many countries. Trying to create citizens who share a common story, when most of those citizens in fact have completely different stories, almost seems an oxymoron. The result, Carretero concluded, “is that most of the immigrants then have a hard time assimilating into their new culture.” This makes sense. Immigrants, holding with their identities, will find it difficult or even impossible to relate to the wholly different identities taught in school textbooks.
Speaking about how history education can be changed to reflect the new globalized world, Carretero argued, “We need to think about not only which topics we include in our curriculum, but what kind of questions the students should ask and answer.” Students need to think not just about their identity as a citizen of their nation, but also about their identity as a citizen of the world.
For example, many high school students in the United States currently learn about the Vietnam War. They learn primarily from an American vantage point, how the war was received “at home.” Let us imagine the effect this must have on Vietnamese-American students, many of whom are in the United States because of this very war! These are the realities of a global classroom: a place in which national identities and histories are constantly in formation.
If new global history methods work, students will begin to see that any one part of the past does not happen in isolation, but rather in an interconnected and complex web across countries and cultures. Then we will develop not only national identity, but truly global citizens.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
International Q&A with FSI-Humanities Center 2011 Visitor Monica Quijada
By Marie-Pierre Ulloa
Why did you become a historian?
Since I was very young I have been interested in History as a means to understand society and as a place from which to participate actively in society’s concerns.
What is the focus of your current research?
I generally work on more than one topic, which I find interrelated. At this time I am working on interethnic relations (particularly the interaction of Indians and citizenship in 19th Century Latin America), popular sovereignty in the Spanish world along the centuries, and the management of diversity in Anthropological Museums.
What are the three or four seminal books in a historian's library?
History is a very wide subject both in regards to time and space. There are many books that may be considered as seminal for me. However, to name a few: Lucien Febvre, Le problème de l’incroyance au 16eme siècle; Eric Hobsbawm: The Invention of Tradition; José Antonio Maravall: Las comunidades de Castilla; Ernest Gellner: Nations and Nationalism.
Who are your models and mentors, if any?
I have not really had models and mentors. However, should I have to inscribe myself in the track of great Historians I would name José María Maravall and François-Xavier Guerra.
Which are the most critical skills in order to become a good historian?
Curiosity, willingness to learn, social sensibility, capacity to stand in your neighbor’s shoes.
What is the mission of the Humanities and how do the Humanities and Social Sciences complement each other?
Humanities are the basic understanding of humankind and society. Most importantly, Humanities provide the means for a kind of knowledge and understanding based on criticism or, as Descartes would say, “methodical doubt”. That is also why Humanities are often seen as a suspicious discipline and as a dangerous tool in the hands of society.
The Social Sciences are a kind of Humanities that have developed a more formalized language and have a more obvious applicability. In my opinion History is clearly a Social Science, same as Anthropology and Sociology.
Why did you become a historian?
 |
| Monica Quijada |
Since I was very young I have been interested in History as a means to understand society and as a place from which to participate actively in society’s concerns.
What is the focus of your current research?
I generally work on more than one topic, which I find interrelated. At this time I am working on interethnic relations (particularly the interaction of Indians and citizenship in 19th Century Latin America), popular sovereignty in the Spanish world along the centuries, and the management of diversity in Anthropological Museums.
What are the three or four seminal books in a historian's library?
History is a very wide subject both in regards to time and space. There are many books that may be considered as seminal for me. However, to name a few: Lucien Febvre, Le problème de l’incroyance au 16eme siècle; Eric Hobsbawm: The Invention of Tradition; José Antonio Maravall: Las comunidades de Castilla; Ernest Gellner: Nations and Nationalism.
Who are your models and mentors, if any?
I have not really had models and mentors. However, should I have to inscribe myself in the track of great Historians I would name José María Maravall and François-Xavier Guerra.
Which are the most critical skills in order to become a good historian?
Curiosity, willingness to learn, social sensibility, capacity to stand in your neighbor’s shoes.
What is the mission of the Humanities and how do the Humanities and Social Sciences complement each other?
Humanities are the basic understanding of humankind and society. Most importantly, Humanities provide the means for a kind of knowledge and understanding based on criticism or, as Descartes would say, “methodical doubt”. That is also why Humanities are often seen as a suspicious discipline and as a dangerous tool in the hands of society.
The Social Sciences are a kind of Humanities that have developed a more formalized language and have a more obvious applicability. In my opinion History is clearly a Social Science, same as Anthropology and Sociology.
International Q&A with FSI-Humanities Center 2012 Visitor Catherine Gousseff
 |
| Catherine Gousseff |
Why did you become a historian?
Maybe by chance since I wanted to be a philosopher. I think that my origins played a huge role in my choice. My grandparents came from Russia as refugees after the Revolution and I dedicated my work as historian to the history of refugees and displaced persons in the 20th century, having started with a PhD on the Russian Exile.
What is the focus of your current research?
I am working on the history of population exchange between Ukraine and Poland in order to adjust the new politic borders with the ethnographic ones (1944-1947)
What are the three or four seminal books in a historian's library?
Eugen Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen; the modernization of rural France, 1880-1914
Marc Bloch, The Medieval Society
George Ostrogorsky, History of Byzantine State
Who are your models and mentors, if any?
I’m thinking of Daniel Mendelsohn (author of The Lost), not as a mentor, but in a way as a model in dealing with history and memory, with familial story and political history of the 20th century.
Which are the most critical skills in order to become a good historian?
Endless intellectual curiosity, imagination, and less ideological conviction than critical view of the present time.
What is the mission of the Humanities and how do the Humanities and Social Sciences complement each other?
It is a huge question, but I would summarize my answer to one point. My conviction is that the humanities concentrate the knowledge of human expression, of human inventions, and human traces. As such, they act as critical mass in society and give to it the capacity to continue the human story.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
International Q&A with FSI-Humanities Center Visitor Adams Bodomo
by Marie-Pierre Ulloa
Why did you become a linguist?
I studied linguistics and became a linguist for two reasons. First, I wanted to be a top diplomat for my country, Ghana, which would involve being posted around the world to represent my country. I figured that if I studied linguistics and foreign languages at the University of Ghana that would increase my chances, so I read Linguistics, French, and Swahili. Second, I wanted to help document and preserve my mother-tongue, Dagaare, a small language in northern Ghana. I succeeded in writing the first grammar sketch of the language, published here at Stanford University titled The Structure of Dagaare.
What are the three or four seminal books in a linguist's library?
It’s hard to pin down four seminal books as linguistics has many branches. But if the criterion is to select those books that have revolutionized aspects of linguistics I am familiar with, I would select A Course in General Linguistics by Ferdinand Saussure. This book revolutionized structural and descriptive linguistics, and I am a structuralist. Chomsky’s book, Syntactic Structures, revolutionized generative linguistics. Every linguist should have two reference books, one on languages of the world and the other a dictionary of linguistics. I would select David Crystal’s A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics and Garry and Rubino’s Facts about the World’s Languages: Encyclopedia of the World’s Major Languages – Past and Present, which I helped edit.
Who are your models and mentors, if any?
I have no models because my journey is too unique to model after someone. I do have many mentors back home in Ghana, in Norway where I did graduate studies, here in the US where I have worked, and in Hong Kong where I now live and work. I am a lucky man; I am where I am today because of many men and women–great linguists and academics–who mentored me, but I don’t want to mention names as some would be disappointed since I don’t have space to list all of them.
Which are the most critical skills in order to become a good linguist?
One, a critical, enquiring mind, two, attention to detail for discovering the intricacies of human mental processes through the use of linguistic structure, and three, the creativity to grasp the nuances of other people’s languages and cultures.
What is the mission of the Humanities and how do the Humanities and Social Sciences complement each other?
The mission of the Humanities is to discover the inner nature of the human creature, including the intricacies of language, thought, and culture, and how this creature relates to its environment, leading, hopefully, to an appreciation and celebration of its inner beauty. The Social Sciences also study how humans relate to their environment. Humanities and the Social Sciences have intertwined missions but different methods of inquiry, so these groups of scholars can learn from each other about deep, introspective methods of inquiry in the Humanities to empirical, experimental and quantitative methods in the Social Sciences.
Why did you become a linguist?
I studied linguistics and became a linguist for two reasons. First, I wanted to be a top diplomat for my country, Ghana, which would involve being posted around the world to represent my country. I figured that if I studied linguistics and foreign languages at the University of Ghana that would increase my chances, so I read Linguistics, French, and Swahili. Second, I wanted to help document and preserve my mother-tongue, Dagaare, a small language in northern Ghana. I succeeded in writing the first grammar sketch of the language, published here at Stanford University titled The Structure of Dagaare.
 |
| Adams Bodomo |
It’s hard to pin down four seminal books as linguistics has many branches. But if the criterion is to select those books that have revolutionized aspects of linguistics I am familiar with, I would select A Course in General Linguistics by Ferdinand Saussure. This book revolutionized structural and descriptive linguistics, and I am a structuralist. Chomsky’s book, Syntactic Structures, revolutionized generative linguistics. Every linguist should have two reference books, one on languages of the world and the other a dictionary of linguistics. I would select David Crystal’s A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics and Garry and Rubino’s Facts about the World’s Languages: Encyclopedia of the World’s Major Languages – Past and Present, which I helped edit.
Who are your models and mentors, if any?
I have no models because my journey is too unique to model after someone. I do have many mentors back home in Ghana, in Norway where I did graduate studies, here in the US where I have worked, and in Hong Kong where I now live and work. I am a lucky man; I am where I am today because of many men and women–great linguists and academics–who mentored me, but I don’t want to mention names as some would be disappointed since I don’t have space to list all of them.
Which are the most critical skills in order to become a good linguist?
One, a critical, enquiring mind, two, attention to detail for discovering the intricacies of human mental processes through the use of linguistic structure, and three, the creativity to grasp the nuances of other people’s languages and cultures.
What is the mission of the Humanities and how do the Humanities and Social Sciences complement each other?
The mission of the Humanities is to discover the inner nature of the human creature, including the intricacies of language, thought, and culture, and how this creature relates to its environment, leading, hopefully, to an appreciation and celebration of its inner beauty. The Social Sciences also study how humans relate to their environment. Humanities and the Social Sciences have intertwined missions but different methods of inquiry, so these groups of scholars can learn from each other about deep, introspective methods of inquiry in the Humanities to empirical, experimental and quantitative methods in the Social Sciences.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Humanities Center Holds 19th Annual Celebration of Publications
On March 6, 2012, the Humanities Center hosted the 19th Annual Celebration of Publications in honor of humanists across the university. 62 authors were honored with 78 print, digital, video, and audio publications displayed for all to enjoy.
Click here to view the full list of authors and publications.
Click here to view the full list of authors and publications.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Humanities Circle Visits Library Special Collections
By Chris Williams
What do a poster from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, a “pirated” edition of the Nuremburg Chronicles from 1496, and a 1591 copy of Metamorphosis have in common? They are all available at the Special Collections at Green Library, and all undergraduates can see and touch them.
In January, Robert Barrick took the Humanities Circle, an undergraduate group sponsored by the Stanford Humanities Center, on a trip to Special Collections to see what the fuss is all about. “We wanted students to know what is available and how to access it,” Barrick says.
To prepare for the visit, Barrick worked extensively with John Mustain, Curator of Rare Books. Barrick says, “While the students could access these items on their own, it was wonderful to have [John Mustain] provide his expertise on a special guided tour.” Mustain actively encourages a hands-on approach to the items in the Collection–touch the pages, smell the vellum–helping students get a full sensory experience of the richness and depth of the history involved.
During their visit, the group got a sampling of items hand-picked by Mustain representing some of his favorite pieces in the Collection: students could examine a leaf of the Gutenberg Bible, a student text with marginalia from the 16th century, and an 18th-century map of Japan. One music major was particularly excited to see an original hand-written composition by Mozart.
All students can access the Special Collections through a request from the library’s website. “The difficulty is that you have to know what you are looking for before you request it,” Barrick says. “That’s why we wanted to visit in person–so students would start thinking about the ways they could use the Collection.”
Books and documents are not the only things available in Special Collections. The group is planning another visit to the Collections on March 12 to see the variety of realia–real life objects–in house. “One of the more surprising things in the collection is a pair of Allen Ginsburg’s sneakers. We’re hoping we can see some artifacts like these and many more rare books and documents when we visit in March,” explains Barrick.
The Humanities Circle is open to all undergraduates, regardless of major. If you are interested in joining the Circle’s trip to the Special Collections in March, or any of the other talks, film screenings, or lunches the group sponsors, email Robert Barrick at rbarrick@stanford.edu.
What do a poster from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, a “pirated” edition of the Nuremburg Chronicles from 1496, and a 1591 copy of Metamorphosis have in common? They are all available at the Special Collections at Green Library, and all undergraduates can see and touch them.
 |
| An image from the Nuremburg Chronicles. (Source: Wikipedia; {{PD1923}}) |
In January, Robert Barrick took the Humanities Circle, an undergraduate group sponsored by the Stanford Humanities Center, on a trip to Special Collections to see what the fuss is all about. “We wanted students to know what is available and how to access it,” Barrick says.
To prepare for the visit, Barrick worked extensively with John Mustain, Curator of Rare Books. Barrick says, “While the students could access these items on their own, it was wonderful to have [John Mustain] provide his expertise on a special guided tour.” Mustain actively encourages a hands-on approach to the items in the Collection–touch the pages, smell the vellum–helping students get a full sensory experience of the richness and depth of the history involved.
During their visit, the group got a sampling of items hand-picked by Mustain representing some of his favorite pieces in the Collection: students could examine a leaf of the Gutenberg Bible, a student text with marginalia from the 16th century, and an 18th-century map of Japan. One music major was particularly excited to see an original hand-written composition by Mozart.
All students can access the Special Collections through a request from the library’s website. “The difficulty is that you have to know what you are looking for before you request it,” Barrick says. “That’s why we wanted to visit in person–so students would start thinking about the ways they could use the Collection.”
Books and documents are not the only things available in Special Collections. The group is planning another visit to the Collections on March 12 to see the variety of realia–real life objects–in house. “One of the more surprising things in the collection is a pair of Allen Ginsburg’s sneakers. We’re hoping we can see some artifacts like these and many more rare books and documents when we visit in March,” explains Barrick.
The Humanities Circle is open to all undergraduates, regardless of major. If you are interested in joining the Circle’s trip to the Special Collections in March, or any of the other talks, film screenings, or lunches the group sponsors, email Robert Barrick at rbarrick@stanford.edu.
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