Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with history

Help me get to know the American Southwest.

WidgetAlley — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:29:09 -0800

I've lived all my life in the shadow of the Appalachians. Now, I'm moving to Arizona. What are some books that I should read, or music that I should hear, to help me get the feel of the Southwest? Ever since I've known for sure that I'm moving, I've realized how much I know about my home state. I know the birds, the animals, the plants and rocks and mountains, what the people are like; I have a rough grasp on the history and I know some of the cultural influences. I'm familiar with the local writers and musicians and the food. This gives me a nice sense of situated "place".

Now I'm moving to Arizona for the foreseeable future, and I'm very excited about getting to know somewhere new! Of course there's no substitute for getting out and wandering around, but in the meantime I would like to prepare to have a new home by learning some of the same things. What books and music say Southwest to you?

I'm looking for history (particularly a good history of the state itself), biography, fiction, poetry, music and everything between, as long as it's interesting. Naturalist guides are fine, but I would prefer to steer away from visitors' guides unless they are really exceptional and full of things that I would otherwise miss. Thank you very much, Mefites of the Sunny Southwest!

Hurricane/cyclones : history, effects

k5.user — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:12:32 -0800

Historically, in tropical areas, did cyclones/hurricanes wipe villages/huts/people off the face of the earth ? There was no forecasting hundreds of years ago, so storms were always a surprise. Were pre-Colombian (and even post-) towns/villages in tropical areas (Caribbean) typically destroyed, everyone killed, if they were hit ? (Or pre/early colonial pacific locations)

Population density was probably far lower than modern times, the architecture/engineering were simple/rudimentary (or not ?), so I'd think a storm would wipe everyone/thing out.

(I'm thinking islands, but could see Florida, Yucatan, etc as part of this question as well)

I want to take a family history. There may be a cultural barrier. Tips?

gemutlichkeit — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:20:24 -0800

I've always wanted to learn about my family's history. I have an aunt who is nearing 75 and according to my father, she knows the most about my family. I was thinking of interviewing her this summer. Some concerns I have:
I was born and raised in the US. I am a heritage speaker of Chinese, so I can probably manage some questions in Chinese, but there's also a fair chance that the level of discourse will be lower than I would like due to the fact that my vocabulary isn't as high as it could be. My aunt knows English, but it'd be the same situation, of course.

And, how can I get over the awkwardness? I'm not sure if this is a cultural thing, but my parents have always made it clear to me that they really don't like talking about their past. (Cultural revolution, communism-- I can understand that it may be difficult to talk about.) So doing a family history could make things awkward. How could I best broach the topic?

If you have tried to do something similar, I'd greatly appreciate your suggestions.

Decent introductions to Laotian history?

jason's_planet — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:55:42 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good book on the history of Laos? I've tried searching on Amazon but most of the titles I see there seem to focus on America's unfortunate colonial misadventure in Southeast Asia and the CIA's secret war in Laos. While I understand the market imperatives that might lead to such a focus, I'd like to get a broader history than that. The book I am looking will : * be written in English

* not be a doorstop i.e. c. 500 pages or less

* have at least some material on the history of Laos before Western colonialism.

* also address contemporary Laos and the Communist regime that ruled after the war.

Extra-special bonus points if the author deals with the Isaan people and their historical relationship with Laos.

Many thanks in advance.

I'm looking for a quote from a founding father about leaving government

rileyray3000 — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:01:35 -0800

I remember reading something, somewhere from one of the founding fathers about the original intent of legislators to NOT be a political class. To serve a term or two and go home so that people from outside could contribute and people inside didn't get too jaded. Though maybe I'm adding a lot of subtext. Is there anything from any of the FF's on this that rings a bell? Do you have a quote or two?

Apropos of Nothing - The History of Nothing - part three

eschatfische — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:41:25 -0800

Four and eight years ago, I asked where I could obtain a copy of Eduardo Paolizzi's remarkable short film The History of Nothing on DVD. Added difficulty: I'm in America. Twist: I would gladly consider purchasing a 16mm print. Any leads?

ISO Educational Statistics: # of history students/faculty

agent99 — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:42:41 -0800

Looking for statistical information on how many students study history at the B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. level in various non-US countries. The US data is pretty easy to find (here), but I'm having a really hard time finding non-US data. Ideally I'd like to find European, Asian, Australian, and Latin American figures as well. I'm not that picky about how the areas are broken down (that is to say, it can be EU-wide, continent-wide, or country-wide)

What's better than a steering wheel?

devnull — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:17:20 -0800

Steering wheels are an odd invention: a round object that you rotate clockwise or anti-clockwise based on whether you want to move a car left or right. The rotating of a wheel doesn't really match up with what you are trying to accomplish (unless you're used to it). We have them today because we've had them for years, but if cars were invented today, what would make more sense than a steering wheel to control car direction?

i.e. what mechanism would make more sense in linking the direction of the car to a physical controller?

Alexandria - the reading list

catlet — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:56:55 -0800

I'm looking for solid histories of Alexandria (Egypt, not Virginia). Overviews are good, as are works more specifically social, intellectual, military, or economic. I'm particularly interested in ancient and Napoleonic information, but all suggestions are welcome! Web resources are welcome as well as print works; I have access to ILL and an academic library.

It was Biiiilllll...

jonmc — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:15:15 -0800

In the late 1990's on the Oprah Winfrey show, there was a brief piece on a song that reached the low end of the R&B charts. Sonically it was pretty traditional soul music, but the twist was that it was a cheating song, but the female singer catches her man cheating with another man, named "Bill," which was the title of the song, IIRC. If anyone can provide me with the singers name that'd be great. Bonus points for an mp3 or youtube link.

Low-budget DIY microfiche scanning?

naturalog — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:32:56 -0800

In the next day or two, I'll be getting some microfiche via ILL for an academic project. Ideally, I'd be able to digitize portions (50-100pp, probably) of them for future use in a way more efficient (and cheaper...) than printing out paper copies and scanning them. I have a Nikon D80 with a 50mm f/1.8 and a 105mm f/2.8 (I think) and a tripod, an iPad 3, a MacBook Pro, and a grad student budget. My campus has photocopiers that are also flatbed scanners; I'd be able to use one for an extended period of time if necessary. Any suggestions about the best ways to do this?

How did women come to be regarded as inferior in society?

metacognition — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:12:14 -0800

Why/how did this idea actually start? So, upon studying the Hebrew Bible for class, I became curious. As we discussed the Ten Commandments and how women were considered "property", it made me wonder: when and how did this actually start? Even in Genesis, Eve was merely a piece of Adam. These days, religion (among other things) is sometimes used as an excuse to oppress women, but what about the time before religion – how did women come to be regarded as inferior in the first place?

(Disclaimers: I realize that at many points in history, just about everyone lived under poor conditions, regardless of sex. I also understand that not all societies were against having women in power.)

I am not looking for interpretations of the Bible... it is just my starting point for the question! I also realize that there may be no true answer to this question, so I'm wondering what others have studied or even references to good books on this topic.

Thank you!

All the world's a book, and all the men and women merely characters

therumsgone — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:14:57 -0800

Recommend novels to help me learn more about the world! Recently, I've read some (fictional) books that told a good story while simultaneously teaching me something about how people outside the U.S. live(d). The ones I'm thinking of are The Kite Runner (Afghan Revolution/ the Taliban), War & Peace (Napoleonic Wars), and A Suitable Boy (post-independence, post-partition India). I'd like to read more books like these!

What books would you recommend that are fictional, yet still cover important events in a country's history? Books written by people from the country in which the book is set are ideal, but I'm open to all suggestions. I'm mainly looking for fiction, but non-fiction books that look at history or current events through the lives of a country's people are fine too (think Behind the Beautiful Forevers).

HIST490: Contemporary History of Haiti from Ask.Metafilter

fizzix — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:39:04 -0800

In a few weeks, I'll be going to Haiti, specifically the Northern region, for a couple months to work for a NGO. While I've worked and lived in other lesser developed countries and have briefly spoken to co-workers living there, I haven't been to Haiti before and I'd like to have a greater, more nuanced understanding of Haitian cultures and recent history before I arrive. I'm looking for short novels, recommended blogs, or articles - pieces on Haiti would be great posts on Metafilter (I've already read past ones on here) that give me a deeper understanding of Haitian cultures and recent political history.

Use of The City as a metaphor for the Internet/Web

0bvious — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:19:31 -0800

I am looking for examinations of the Internet and World Wide Web that use the structure and/or history of the city as a metaphor. I'm afraid I have no original example of this phenomenon to kick things off. I have this image in my head of 'the city' that always goes back to Plato and his Republic. Plato's city was a physical, social construction, as well as a philosophical metaphor, at one and the same time. It feels that many have talked about the Internet in similar, overlapping, terms.

(It need not be 'the city as metaphor', rather any social, physical space that humans build and live in will suffice. Also, metonymy rather than metaphor would be great.)

Writings that explore the political history of the city, it's technological expansion, that consider the city as a nexus for theories of human civilisation, of emergence perhaps, of structure, social and political control and, perhaps most importantly, of space vs place - all as a way to think about similar phenomena taking place online. The Internet as emerging network with similarities to the city; the World Wide Web considered as spatio-social metaphor?

etc. etc.

Any ideas?

What is the publication history of Philip Agee's Inside the Company?

history is a weapon — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:53:49 -0800

What is the publication history of Philip Agee's Inside the Company: CIA Diary? Are European editions vastly different? Or, more to the point, are American versions censored? Is there a resource for looking all this up?

Comprehensive histories of the Us in the 1970s?

kaisemic — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:14:32 -0800

I'm looking for the US equivalent of Dominic Sandbrook's State of Emergency: Britain 1970–1974—books that explore not just the politics, movements and 'big events' of the decade, but aspects such as pop culture and the changes in daily life and habits. For the past year or so, I've read David Kynaston's histories of Britain from 1945-1957, then Dominic Sandbrook's volumes on 1960-1974. What impressed me most was their scope. There was all the usual information on government and economic policy, social movements and international events, but also lots of detail on daily life: what people watched, listened to and wore, their eating and leisure habits. I'd like to find the same sort of book for the US in the 1970s, one as likely to talk about Sesame Street and fondue pots as it is Watergate—and in a serious manner, rather than just, 'hey, remember pet rocks? Crazy!' Any recommendations?

I want to know the history of the city without a history

Sara C. — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:03:25 -0800

Please recommend some books about the history of Southern California. I'm specifically interested in the evolution of car culture and the L.A. area as a cultural incubator. The backstory: I work out of a house in the San Fernando valley that was built in the 40's. I was sitting around at lunch yesterday, shooting the shit, and started wondering aloud what Southern California was like before the freeways.

If you lived in Van Nuys or Sherman Oaks in the 40's, what was your life like? What did you do for a living, and where would that be located? How did you get there? When were all the suburban developments in that area created, anyway? Is a house built in the 40's the oldest house in the neighborhood? What was it like before the 'burbs?

I want to know all about the history of Southern California, especially during the 20th century. Mainly in the evolution of car culture and SoCal as a sort of archetypal post-war suburban environment, especially in a pop cultural sense. Everything from drag racing in the LA River basin to the Beach Boys to donut shops with giant donuts on the roof.

I know that there are primary sources in the media for this sort of thing. Raymond Chandler, movies like Rebel Without A Cause and Valley Girl, etc. I wouldn't mind recommendations for things like that, but what I really want is non-fiction. Preferably history, but possibly also sociology or anthropology.

Podcasts, documentaries, and other non-fiction media are also fine. I already listen to 99% Invisible, which has fueled my interest in how the suburban car-centric landscape came about and shaped people's lives. The LA Times website has been a pretty good source of information about this sort of thing, but I want to go deeper.

I am less interested in the history of Hollywood, but I'd be into historical writings about the film industry as they relate to Los Angeles as a city. When did the studios move out to the Valley, and what brought about those changes, for example?

I am not really as interested in historical works about 19th century Los Angeles, though if a work spans the Spanish/Mexican period and goes into the 20th century, that would be OK.

I am also not terribly interested in essays and cultural commentary from people who are not historians. I have read a lot of Joan Didion already.

What are the go-to historical writings about 20th century Southern California?

What to do with a BA in History? (Redux)

Avenger — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:13:10 -0800

This is a followup to this question from almost five years ago. I am about to graduate from a not-very-well-known State University in the southwest with a BA in History. My problem is that I am now rudderless, with a great deal of debt and virtually no real job prospects. I am staring down the barrel of paycheck-to-paycheck poverty, forever. Please help. The Bad News: I have roughly $36,000 in debt. Next month I will have a Bachelor of Arts (Summa Cum Laude) in History and International Studies from a southwestern university that you've probably never heard of.

I am very bad at math (I got a C- in college algebra) so going back and getting another degree in a STEM field is probably not going to happen. I have a shitty job that I hate wherein I make a shitty amount of money with no benefits. I'm turning 30 next month and I am far, far behind (financially, career-wise, socially, etc.) others my age.

The good news: I am a pretty good student (it's one of the few things in life I'm actually good at, I guess). I have a 4.0 for my last 50 credit hours or so, and I have been accepted into the Masters of Public Administration program at my local no-name southwestern university. I am not really thrilled by Public Administration, but I applied to the program because i felt like it was something I could do for a decent wage.

The Details:

I have been told, by multiple history professors, that grad study in History is a dead end. Nobody is hiring history professors. The last time our (invisible) school advertised an open (non-tenured) position in the history department, we got 1000+ applicants from all over the country. There are History PhD's from Harvard working at Starbucks right now. I can't compete against them.

Law school is a no go. I'm not that interested in law and I don't want to spend $150,000 for the privilege of working 80 hours a week for an uncertain amount of money. Uncertain job prospects in the first place, too.

I'm really just trying to figure out what to do with my life, while discovering that my life has been made redundant by the free market. I have no purpose and very little prospect of upward mobility in our society.

What can I do about this? Is there some avenue that I haven't yet explored? Is there something that I'm missing? What are my options, hivemind?

Philosophy of the Occult?

parkbench — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:00:55 -0800

I am looking for books investigating the occult as a phenomenon, its history, and its possibilities. Maybe that sounds simple, but I'm also picky. What I mean is that I'm looking for something that is not surgically analytical, but philosophical & open to moving outside of/beyond established Western "sociological" and pseudo-scientific ways of discussing these things, perhaps even rationalist frameworks altogether. A meditation, with history of course, on its meaning moreso than a journal article, let's say (thou that stuff can be helpful).

The closest I could possibly think of, which is a powerful read even with its flaws, would be George Bataille's Erotism. A kind of text I am not looking for but which definitely is a step in the right direction would be the Beyond Rationalism collection. Perhaps like a verison of Talal Asad's sweeping Genealogies of Religion, an ambitious but fiercely intelligent text...and political insofar as anything else would be delusional, but not artless, perhaps like Rancière or better yet, Barthes.

I am less interested in texts trying to "disprove" this or that aspect of occultism and moreso in those that let its inherent contradictions rise to the surface as they delve into the historical role of these practices and how they've served to craft different kinds of subjective experiences over the ages.

I feel like my dream text is out there, and if I close my eyes and wish it three times it'll appear...oh, say it's so!

name my kid for a hero of cosmopolitanism

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:39:29 -0800

So my wife is pregnant. Hooray! (Still early enough that we don't know the gender). We're starting to think about names. It seems to me that the world's great hope and story of progress is the expansion of rights and consideration of the views & interests of an ever-widening swath of humanity. Which historical figures stand for pluralism, for rejecting provincialism, in word or deed? I've picked up, but haven't yet read Kwame Anthony Appiah's Cosmopolitanism; I'd be grateful for suggestions of books or other resources that might be useful. I can be reached at MefiNamesMyKid@gmail.com. My wife & I are white people in the United States, if that affects people's frame of reference (but wouldn't that be uncosmopolitan if it did). The last name will be two syllables, accent on the first one, long E sound in the second one, sorta like "Colby".

I suppose Henry IV of France could work-- "Paris is worth a mass", he supposedly said as he converted to Catholicism in order to become king. But I'm hoping for more well-considered examples.

Looking for the other side of Iran Contrahistory

history is a weapon — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:07:04 -0800

Has there been a definitive account of the Iran-Contra Scandal written from the vantage point of either Iran or Nicaragua? I am NOT looking for an American account that incorporates this material in, but rather a history that situates itself from the perspective of the other participating countries (It does not have to be a right wing "Contra" history, of course, but something that shows the Nicaraguan viewpoint).
Bonus Points if the writer either had insider knowledge or good access to someone who participated in the process.

How do things get buried in dirt over thousands of years?

almostwitty — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:55:40 -0800

It doesn't rain dirt from the sky, so how do ancient buildings get covered in dirt only to be dug up by archaeologists centuries later?

Identify a turn-of-the-century man-flying-with-umbrella postcard meme?

grey_sw — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:45:45 -0800

My friend found a number of European postcards from around 1904 to 1907, each with a similar motif -- a mustachioed, suit-wearing man flying above the city using an umbrella, holding a suitcase in his other hand. You can see some examples here. Do you know more about this meme? My friend's best guess is that it's a play on words ("Flug" being a part of "Ausflug" (flight and excursion, respectively), but anything more you could tell us would be great. As a bonus, here and here are some variations on the theme!

Looking for books about the resiliency of the California Economy.

rileyray3000 — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:09:07 -0800

I'm trying to prove the historic strength and resiliency of California. From the Gold Rush on. Being the birthplace of aerospace manufacturing, the cradle of film and digital. Basically something that puts into perspective all the slowdowns and eventual recoveries that California has always bounced back from. Ideally from a kosher academic perspective. I'd rather not have this from the tome of an avowed Marxist as an example. Who should I read and what did they write?