Yaba Blay’s (1)ne Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race (2014) is a beautiful, first-hand look at the true complexities surrounding the ways in which societies and peoples racialize one another and the ways in which these are institutionalized. Due to an ambiguous and vastly tangled web of psychological, historical, and countless other reasons, everyday lifeContinue reading “(1)ne Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race: A Review and Reflection”
Category Archives: Without Ritual, Autonomous Negotiations
13 Reasons to Watch and Share the Educational Series “Ask a Slave”
Ask a Slave, a new comedy series on YouTube, is highly recommended. In each episode, Lizzie Mae, a composite figure, plays the personal house slave to the Washingtons. Read more about the series here. Everyone needs to watch Ask a Slave because it: uses humor to make the subject of enslavement approachable; touches on theContinue reading “13 Reasons to Watch and Share the Educational Series “Ask a Slave””
Brazoria County’s Assault of Historical Truth and Enslavement [Preview]
Each year in early November, Brazoria County celebrates “Austin Town.” The Brazoria County Historical Museum sponsors this event “with the goal of giving the public an educational and entertaining experience.” “The thing that the kids [1,000 local 4th and 5th graders] get on Field Trip Day is the real thing. They can see, smell, andContinue reading “Brazoria County’s Assault of Historical Truth and Enslavement [Preview]”
13 Tenets to Seeing and Understanding the World as a Scholar
In no particular order, these tenets are: 1. Race, class, and privilege deeply divide people. Humans are still just babies on the evolutionary scale of this universe. Humans have an urge to assert their (self-awarded) superiority and to create and then protect their corresponding privileges. Indeed systems of white privilege, male privilege, cis-gender privilege, heterosexualContinue reading “13 Tenets to Seeing and Understanding the World as a Scholar”
History Repeats Itself, Why I Study History, and History as a Science
There I said it. History. Repeats. Itself. I’ll say it again. History. Repeats. Most historians balk at this notion with a series of well-intended but nonetheless vehement objections. In my experience, we respond, “No. Absolutely not. History doesn’t repeat.” Before continuing, we have to interpret what “repeat” means. According to the dictionary: According to theContinue reading “History Repeats Itself, Why I Study History, and History as a Science”
“Never forget” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #1
Yesterday was the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Around the Internet there were postings calling for remembrance. I even made such a posting here. Almost all of these said “never forget” in one form or another. As used, never forget means to remember the tragedies that happened that day and the following weeks, rememberContinue reading ““Never forget” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #1”
Brief Guide to Studying Primary Sources: A Methodology to Increase Critical Thinking
Since the Spring 2010, I’ve developed the following guidelines to help students in my classes read effectively. Every semester I tweak them in someway or another. While they were originally designed with primary source documents in mind, they should also work, at least conceptually, for secondary works. So far they have worked really well forContinue reading “Brief Guide to Studying Primary Sources: A Methodology to Increase Critical Thinking”
“You know, I really don’t know my history”: Historical Memory, Slavery, and Plantation Day [Preview]
Probably about a month ago now as I was leaving a local restaurant I saw a sign advertising “Plantation Day.” It didn’t fully soak in until I was on the way home. After looking around on the Internet, I couldn’t find the flyer anywhere, so I emailed the Lake Jackson Historical Association. They sent me a copyContinue reading ““You know, I really don’t know my history”: Historical Memory, Slavery, and Plantation Day [Preview]”
Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda 