Department Activities, Spring/Summer 2014

August 22, 2014

Jonathan Bryant was the invited speaker for the Thomas Brown Forum at the St. George Tucker Society Meeting on Aug. 2, 2014 in Atlanta.  His paper, “The Case of the Antelope” was submitted beforehand, and after a 40 minute presentation there followed an hour of animated discussion.  Bryant also was interviewed for a segment to appear on Savannah Government Television concerning the conflict over the slave ship Antelope and the role of the City of Savannah.  The segment will appear on SGTV this fall.

Paul Rodell served as a “Reviewer” of Department of Education Title VI institutional grant proposals in Washington, DC in early August. The reviewer panels evaluated complex and often lengthy proposals seeking support for areas studies programs at several universities. These major grants are of four year duration and are critical for the continued operation and growth of many Centers. Rodell’s panel evaluated programs for Southeast Asian, Pacific Island, and Islamic Studies.

Anna Alexander received a grant from the Hagley Library and Museum in Wilmington, DE to spend one week consulting the library’s collections related to fire-safety products, fire insurance, and international expositions. This research will aid her analysis of the relationship between the foreign and domestic actors who shaped fire safety in Mexico City, and will contribute to her book manuscript, “City of Fire: Urban Hazards and Social Change in Mexico City, 1860-1910.”

The students from Alexander’s course on the History of Modern Latin America will be creating an exhibition at the Zach S. Henderson Library entitled, “Day of the Dead: Remembering the Victims of Atrocities in Latin America.” The students will be using the popular Mexican celebration of Day of the Dead as a vehicle to educate the campus community about state-supported violence that occurred throughout Latin America during the Cold War. The featured exhibits include, the disappeared of the Argentina Dirty War, students who died in the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre in Mexico City, Mayans killed during the Guatemalan Civil War, victims of the drug trade in Colombia, and the murdered of the Chilean dictatorship. The exhibition is open from October 1-November 3 in the first floor of the library. On Wednesday, October 15 at 4pm there will be a public presentation of student research followed by a reception which will include Day of the Dead face painting by students in the Theater and Performance Program.

Craig Roell was interviewed about the subject of his book,  Matamoros and the Texas Revolution, by award-winning director/producer Mike Vance of Houston Arts and Media. Roell was interviewed as a historian-commentator for The Birth of Texas Series, which includes eight feature-length documentaries covering the history of Texas in the Spanish and Mexican eras, the Texas Revolution, the Texas Republic, and statehood.