Scottish Centre for Global History: Recent Episodes
University of Dundee
A podcast series brought to you by the Scottish Centre for Global History in association with the University of Dundee. Through our research workshops and editorial podcasts, we aim to democratise Global History and give a public platform to postgraduate research.
You can see our full list of history blogs and academic resources at globalhistory.org.uk If you'd like to contribute a blog post or take part in a virtual research workshop, please contact us via email at SCGH@dundee.ac.uk or via twitter @UoDSCGH.
Diana Mendez Rojas shares her doctoral research on the growth agricultural knowledge in Mexico between 1940-1980. She focuses on fellowship winners, from the Rockefeller Foundation, and how their graduate experiences across the world influenced Mexico's knowledge and agricultural practice. Diana also talks about how this history links to the Green Revolution and Mexico's role in this development.
PhD student Niels Boender discusses his project on reconciliation in post-colonial Kenya, the Migrated Archives and his work on the recent documentary A Very British Way of Torture.
Amie Campos discusses her doctoral research on rural history in Chile in the 19th century. She elaborates on the state relationship with indigenous communities in the south of the country. Amie also tells us about her research experience in Chile. Finally, she shares her move out of academia and reflects on the PhD process.
Alex White talks about his doctoral research on British radio propaganda in East Africa during the decolonisation process.
Benjamin summarises his book by highlighting his main arguments and sources for the project. He also discusses the reasons for writing a popular history. Thereafter, Benjamin talks about the experience of doing Latin American history in the UK. He shares his personal journey through the PhD in the UK, contrasts the UK and US system and elaborates on the importance of Latin American history in Britain.
Veronica Ehrenreich-Risner discusses her book on Apartheid South Africa. She explains the Bantu Authorities System before discussing why the Apartheid state created it, how it operated, and how it adapted during the regime.
Aran MacKinnon also joins the discussion to share his views on Veronica's work and discuss the topic of the Bantu Authorities System.
Cassie Osei discusses doctoral research on social mobility among Black communities in relation to their experience of housing, labour and education. She begins by sharing with us her academic journey before sharing with us an overview of her doctoral research and her experience of conducting that research. Additionally, she discusses education practice within tertiary education.
Allegra Ayida discusses her research on the Warri Kingdom in relation to material culture and imperialism. She also talks about de-centring Europe in her research, oral history and the Benin Bronze debate in the context of museum collections. Link to Allegra's webpage: Home | Allegra Ayida. Books suggested: The Brutish Museums The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution by Dan Hicks
The Whole Picture: The Colonial Story of the Art in Our Museums & Why We Need to Talk About It” (2020) by Alice Procter
Mark Blyth of Brown University talks growing up in Dundee, the role of public anger in the Global Economy, how realistic solutions for climate change and inequality are, and what the two most 'arrogant' disciplines (History and Economics) can learn from one another"
In this interview, Stephen McFarland shares his experiences and reflections on his life in diplomacy. We discuss his experiences in Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Iraq among other places.
Stephen McFarland is a retired ambassador who served in the U.S. Foreign Service for over 37 years, largely in countries engaged in or emerging from conflict. He had 10 posts in Central and South America, and he also served in Iraq, where he led a provincial reconstruction team in a Marine regiment conducting counterinsurgency operations in Al Anbar during the 2007 surge. Later he headed Embassy Kabul’s law enforcement and rule of law efforts in 2012-2013. After retirement, in 2015-17 he led a USAID justice project in Colombia’s conflict zones, accompanying local officials as they returned to areas the guerrillas had dominated; between 2018 and 2021 he was a consultant on Guatemala for Millicom LLC.
The son of Foreign Service officer George McFarland, Stephen grew up in central Texas, Latin America, and the Middle East. He is a graduate of Yale University, the Air War College, and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (Security Studies). He and his wife have four sons. He enjoys playing soccer, hiking, diving, and reading history.
Image: Stephen McFarland with FMLN/ERP leadership and U.S. journalist Phil Bronstein in Perquin, El Salvador, April 1990.
Copyright © Donna De Cesare, 1990. All rights by permission of photographer only; https://moody.utexas.edu/faculty/donna-decesare
Jamie Gemmell discusses his study on the Anglo-Atlantic world during the 17th century. He elaborates on racialisation and coloniality in the early modern Atlantic world, with a focus on the English Empire, Jamaica, Suriname and Ghana (Gold Coast).
Citations: Vincent Brown, Marisa Fuentes, Saidiya Hartman, Katherine McKittrick, Jennifer Morgan, Diana Paton, Christina Sharpe, Stephanie Smallwood, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, and Sylvia Wynter.
Retrospect Journal: https://retrospectjournal.com/race-in-retrospective/.
Lucia Luna Victoria Indacochea discusses her doctoral dissertation and its methodology for investigating the history of the armed conflict in Peru between 1980-2000. She gives an overview of the conflict before elaborating on the social leaders and housing communities she focuses on. Lucia also responds to questions on the use of oral history in her project and the challenges and benefits of studying this modern history.
Ana discusses her research on the interconnected history of the British National Health Service and migration. She details how migration affected the NHS and how political discourse changed around the NHS and migration. She also explains her reasons for conducting this project and connects the research to present attitudes surrounding this topic.
Patricio Simonetto discusses his book “Money Is Not Everything: The Purchase and Sale of Sex in Argentina in the 20th Century”. Patricio discusses what motivated him to study sex work, the implications of his book for broader understandings of twentieth-century Argentine history, and his thoughts on intersectional research. He also outlines the importance and relevance of this history to the present moment in Argentina and Latin America.
Patience Schell, Jacob Blanc and Julie Gibbings share their experiences of teaching Latin American history at universities in Scotland. We discuss the challenges and benefits of teaching in Scotland, how they have attracted students to focus on the region and how they have helped to diversify the academic curriculum by expanding its geographic focus.
Stephen Gethins discusses his book "Nation to Nation: Scotland’s Place in the World" and elaborates on Scotland's international relations and global history. He respond to questions related to how Scotland's history has influenced its international position and global "branding", and how an independent Scotland would interact with the Global South.
Paul Gillingham joins us to talk about is new book "Unrevolutionary Mexico: The Birth of a Strange Dictatorship". Paul shares his motivations for researching Mexico, the theoretical framework behind his book, and he discusses the 20th century history of Veracruz and Guerrero. Paul also tells of his teaching experiences that shaped his work and concludes with his opinions on the state of the history profession in 2021.
A.S. Dillingham discusses his 2021 book publication "Oaxaca Resurgent: Indigeneity, Development, and Inequality in Twentieth-Century Mexico." In this podcast, Dillingham gives an overview of his work on social history in Oaxaca. He also responds to questions about his personal research journey, methodology, transitioning a PhD dissertation into a book publication, writing lucid prose, and why this history of Oaxaca matters.
Curtis Large interviews Sir Richard Evans on the life and work of Eric Hobsbawm. Evans responds to questions related to writing a biography of Hobsbawm (A Life in History), what Eric's contributions were to global history, and his methodology.
Chao Tayiana Maina and Anna Adima discuss Chao’s work as a public historian in Kenya. Chao talks about her organisations African Digital Heritage and Open Restitution Africa, as well as her project Save the Railway, and her work with the Museum of British Colonialism. Their conversation also touches on the importance of collaboration in ‘doing’ public history, and what it means to work in the field as a Black woman.
Social Media Handles:
Twitter: @ChaoTayiana
Instagram: headstronghistorian
Website: https://headstronghistorian.com/
Malik al Nasir and Anna Adima discuss Malik’s life work and research on slavery and his ancestry in Guyana and Britain. Their conversation touches on Malik’s research methodologies for his family history; his coping mechanisms for dealing with the often-traumatic nature of the sources; Scotland’s involvement in the slave trade; and public memory in Britain towards slavery.
Malik’s forthcoming book in September 2021, ‘Letters to Gil’ is available for pre-order.
Social media handles:
Twitter: @MalikAndTheOGs
Facebook: Malik & The O.G’s
Instagram: malikandtheogs
YouTube: Malik and the O.G’s TV
Jordan Buchanan and Philip Magowan talk to James Hoffmann on his experience in the specialty coffee industry during the 21st century. James shares his personal reflections on the history of coffee, coffee inequality, coffee media, and consumerism in relation to specialty coffee. He also elaborates upon his personal experience of these themes in recent history.
Augustine Sedgewick discusses the behind the scenes experience of writing his book "Coffeeland". He recounts his experience using private archives, completing his PhD and transforming his PhD thesis into the book format. He also responds to questions related to topics such as global and Latin American history, methodology, inequality and public history.
This interview was recorded at the Society for Latin American Studies Virtual Conference, 2021.
In this episode, Anna Adima is in conversation with Jessica Albrecht, a PhD candidate in the Study of Religion at the University of Heidelberg. They discuss Jessica’s doctoral research on the Theosophical Society; gendered education in the Victorian Era; relations between religions, feminism and race; and Chakrabarty’s theories of comparing the West with ‘the rest’.
Jessica’s research interests lie in the interrelation of feminism, religion and esotericism in the 19th and 20th centuries, with a regional focus on Sri Lanka. Jessica holds a masters in Gender History, as well as in South Asian Languages. She is also a co-founder and editor of “En-Gender!”,the international and interdisciplinary postgraduate journal on gender research.
https://engenderacademia.wordpress.com/
Jordan Buchanan and Philip Magowan discuss the emergence of specialty coffee in the 21st century with one of the trade's leading actors. Tim Wendelboe shares his experiences and reflections on how coffee has changed since he started in the industry in 1998. We talk about topics such as what is specialty coffee, what creates quality, coffee trading in the global and local market, changes in consumerism, his farm in Colombia and inequality in the trade.
In this episode, we discuss how the Spanish Civil War impacted histories outside Europe. Charlotte Eaton, Austin Clements and Kevin Aguilar share their ideas and research projects related to the political and social consequences of the Spanish war in the U.S.A., Mexico and South America.
Content Warning: Discussion includes mental health, as well as misogynistic language which some listeners may find distressing. Listener discretion is advised.
In this episode, Clare Binning (@clarebinning) of Strathclyde University discusses the rise of involuntary celibacy (inceldom) in our contemporary culture and its historical roots in modern literature.
Contrapoints on Incels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2briZ6fB0&t=8s
Clare is currently pursuing an MRes in English at the University of Strathclyde, with a particular focus on 'inceldom' and the Western literary canon. Her research is supported by the AHRC-aligned Interdisciplinary Excellence Awards Bursary.
In this episode, SCGH editor Paul Feeney discusses postcolonialism in Africa with Frank Gerits and Matteo Grilli. In their new book: "Visions of African Unity: New Perspectives on the History of Pan-Africanism and African Unification Projects", they have edited a collection of essays exploring the political and cultural visions that informed projects aimed at African unification.
Matteo Grilli is a postdoctoral fellow in the International Studies Group at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He specializes in decolonization and Pan-Africanism. He is the author of Nkrumaism and African Nationalism: Ghana’s Pan-African Foreign Policy in the Age of Decolonization (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).
Frank Gerits is Assistant Professor in the History of International Relations at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. He previously held postdoctoral positions at New York University, USA, and the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
"Visions of African Unity" is available for purchase at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030529109#aboutAuthors
In this episode Anna Adima talks to Olivia Wyatt, a postgraduate student at the University of Leeds researching Black British history. They talk about Olivia’s research, as well as her volunteer work with the Young Historians Project and Harewood House.
Here are links to references made in the podcast that listeners may find interesting:
Young Historians Project:
https://www.younghistoriansproject.org/
Olivia’s blog post for Harewood House, “Power. Whiteness. Resistance. Challenging the ‘facts’ of the Archive”:
https://harewood.org/about/blog/black-lives-matter/olivia-wyatt-power-whiteness-resistance-challenging-the-facts-of-the-archive/
The History Hotline Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1GavSibsENENOjVulvr5IT?si=MaPfw6LEQMuCP13pvLTq7Q&nd=1
History Matters:
https://www.historymatters.online/
The Eulogy Project by Jamaica Society Leeds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICszJup728E&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=JamaicaSocietyLeeds
Margins to Centre Conference:
https://www.marginstocentre.com/
In this episode, Anna Adima talks to April Jackson, ESRC-funded PhD candidate at the University of Leicester, who is researching the laws, practices and perceptions of judicial execution across the British Empire between 1815 and 1980. They discuss April’s research, researching global history during a pandemic, methodologies, as well as ideas around decolonising the concept of violence and capital punishment.
Content warning: this episode contains many references to violence and capital punishment. Listener discretion is advised.
"Beyond Desegregation: The United States Anti-Apartheid Movement"
In this bonus episode of our series on the British Anti-Apartheid movement (AAM) SCGH editor Paul Feeney discusses the growth of Anti-Apartheid activism in the United States and international activism with Mattie Webb (@MattieCWebb), Dr. Matthew Graham (@SAhistoryMatt) and Dr. Christopher Fevre (@ChrisFevre).
(01:07) Overview of the US Anti-Apartheid movement.
(05:45) The politics of race and dissent in the United States.
(11:55) The Sullivan Principles and Corporate Activism.
(22:35) Labour reforms in South Africa.
(27:08) Workers solidarity with the Anti-Apartheid movement.
(39:00) Economic Sanctions and the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, 1986
For access to our complete list of public history blogs, podcasts and academic resources, visit our website: globalhistory.org.uk or follow us on twitter @UoDSCGH.
Thumbnail design by Franek Tyczynski (@franek.did).
Images sourced from: Rose Library, Emory University
"Legacy: The Anti-Apartheid Movement in Public Memory"
In the third episode of our four-part series on the British Anti-Apartheid movement (AAM) in Britain, SCGH editor Paul Feeney discusses the growth of Anti-Apartheid activism throughout the 1980's, and its legacy today with scholars of South Africa, Dr. Matthew Graham (@SAhistoryMatt) and Dr. Christopher Fevre (@ChrisFevre).
(00:27) The Nelson Mandela campaign and the AAM in the 1980s.
(13:07) Domestic and international pressures on the Apartheid state.
(17:34) The Anti-Apartheid movement and the African National Congress.
(33:41) The main successes of the movement.
(37:38) The legacy of the Anti-Apartheid Movement.
For access to our complete list of public history blogs, podcasts and academic resources, visit our website: globalhistory.org.uk or follow us on twitter @UoDSCGH.
Thumbnail design by Franek Tyczynski (@franek.did).
"Boycotts for Freedom: The Anti-Apartheid Movement in the 1970s and 1980s"
In the second episode of our four-part series on the British Anti-Apartheid movement (AAM) in Britain, SCGH editor Paul Feeney discusses the growth of the anti-Apartheid movement throughout the 1970s and 1980s with scholars of South Africa Dr. Matthew Graham (@SAhistoryMatt) and Dr. Christopher Fevre (@ChrisFevre).
(00:58) The actions of the Anti-Apartheid movement in the 1970s.
(08:40) The cultural boycott of South Africa and the "Stop the 70s" tour.
(19:50) The consumer boycott of multinational corporations, e.g. Barclays and Shell.
(32:07) Britain's arms relations with South Africa and the 1977 UN Arms embargo.
(36:37) The Free Mandela Campaign
For access to our complete list of public history blogs, podcasts and academic resources, visit our website: globalhistory.org.uk or follow us on twitter @UoDSCGH.
Thumbnail design by Franek Tyczynski (@franek.did).
"Building the Movement: The Roots of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in Britain"
In the first episode of our four-part series on the British anti-Apartheid movement (AAM) in Britain, SCGH editor Paul Feeney discusses the roots of anti-Apartheid activism with scholars of South Africa Dr. Matthew Graham (@SAhistoryMatt) and Dr. Christopher Fevre (@ChrisFevre).
(01:45) How the movement began in Britain. An introduction to the main ideas and activists which publicised the anti-Apartheid struggle throughout Britain in the 1950s and 1960s.
(14:01) The significance of the Sharpeville massacre, 21 March 1960.
(19:15) The British Government's response to Apartheid South Africa from 1964 onwards.
(22:36) Cold War politics and the international position of the ANC.
(29:43) The evolution of the movement into the 1970s.
(36:00) Business interests and Constructive engagement with the Apartheid state.
For access to our complete list of public history blogs, podcasts and academic resources, visit our website: globalhistory.org.uk or follow us on twitter @UoDSCGH.
Thumbnail design by Franek Tyczynski (@franek.did).
In this first quarterly review episode, SCGH editors Paul Feeney, Jordan Buchanan and Liam Grieve discuss some of the main challenges facing historians today. They also discuss how the site can be used to aid postgraduate research.
You can find our list of weekly blogs and academic resources at globalhistory.org.uk. If you would like to contribute a blog post or take part in a virtual research workshop, please contact us via email at SCGH@dundee.ac.uk or via twitter @UoDSCGH