Friday Free-for-All | May 07, 2021

by AutoModerator

Previously

Today:

You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.

As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.

Gankom

I'm cheating a little and copy pasting a question I put up in the digest. But dang it, we need our fandom name!

Clearly we need a name for the fans of the community. We have flairs as a title, but what about a name for the wider community? AH’ers? Askers? Come on clever people, throw some names out!

Rimbaud82

Does anybody have any experience of getting published after they have left academia?

When I graduated a few years ago my tutor/supervisor suggested I try and adapt my dissertation (MA not PhD) to an article for publication. He said that another historian at my university had read it and was also happy to provide some guidance if I wanted to go down that route. At the time I said I was sort of interested, but I never really followed up as I had just started an incredibly boring job and was just a bit jaded. I've found recently that answering questions on here has really reinvigorated my love of history and of writing, so I'm kind of toying with the idea of finally trying to get that done. Does anybody have any experience of something similar?

I think I will reach out to my supervisor, though I feel a bit weird doing so now. Part of me is also torn between my reasonable paying job I have now...or even going back to do my PhD (which I had seriously considered at the time). What a dilemma lol.

mikitacurve

I was invited to be a "student advisor" to the board of my college's summer programs over this past year, and I arrived to the Zoom meeting a little late today because I had been helping an acquaintance get through a mental health flare-up, and then just a few minutes after I did join the Zoom call, they gave me an award for all my advice, even though they literally have not asked my opinion this whole year. So... yeah. I'm doing fine, it just feels very unjust and ironic. This might just be the shortest Long March Through the Institutions ever.

Speaking of which, somebody on r/de FOIA'd Rudi Dutschke's FBI file.

AsksRandomHistoryQs

A bi-weekly update on my quest, unfortunately though I seem to be mostly hitting well off the beaten path.

Question Answered? Category Time Category Area Category Topic
What was the structural position and standing of the Zulu Impi within the wider Zulu society of the mid-19th century? No 13 19th Century 43 Southern Africa 28 Military Life
Outside of urban centers, the Viceroyalty of Peru relied on local Curaca. What was the relationship like between these indigenous nobles and the Spanish colonizers? How much actual oversight would the Spanish have in the day-to-day management of local affairs? No 14 18th Century 50 Western SA 17 Daily Life - Nobility
What was the nature of the experiences of the individual soldiers of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force sent to fight in Italy during World War II? No 24 WWII 44 Brazil 2 Military Campaign
During decolonization and independence in Kenya during the 1960s, what sort of cultural shifts do we see in terms of manner dress and fashion, and to what degree were there specific reactions in this field to decolonization? No 4 1960s 19 East Africa 62 Fashion
For a person of non-wealthy circumstances born with a physical disability in 14/15th c. England, what sort of support and opportunities existed for them in life? No 17 Late Medieval 59 Europe 82 Disability
As the Soviet Union consolidated its position within Eastern Europe in the decade after World War II, to what degree was Russian language instruction encouraged or required within Eastern Bloc nations? No 5 1950s 15 Eastern Europe 24 Language
We make a big deal about the emergence of the humanist movement in Renaissance Italy, but how accessible would the literary products of that movement have been to those outside of the elite circles? Would a Florentine shit-shoveler have a clue who Dante was? No 16 Renaissance 10 Italy 58 Literature/Poetry
How did the cultural acceptance of same-sex attraction and relationships in the former Ottoman Empire shift in the post-Ottoman period? No 11 20th Century 22 Middle East 36 Homosexuality/Sexual Orientation
What do we know about standards of beauty within the Nahua peoples who made up the Aztec Empire? What was considered 'attractive', both in physical standards, but also makeup or fashion? No 17 Late Medieval 51 Mexico 6 Beauty
What sort of methods did Polynesian society employ for fishing prior to European contact, and what impact, if any, did interaction with European methods have on their own practices? No 14 18th Century 33 Oceania 22 Hunting or Fishing
What do we know about standards of beauty within the Nahua peoples who made up the Aztec Empire? What was considered 'attractive', both in physical standards, but also makeup or fashion? Link 17 Late Medieval 51 Mexico 6 Beauty
In the last decade or so of the Qing dynasty, how integrated into the international economy was China? What sort of goods or material were produced there for export? How much of a market was there for imported foreign goods? No 10 1900s 42 China 56 International Trade
How the practice of agriculture look in the Achaemenid empire? To what degree did imperial expansion impact and exposure to other methods impact techniques? How was much change was brought about by the Greek conquest under Alexander? No 32 Antiquity 47 Persia 23 Agriculture
How would a fashionable Ottoman nobleman or noblewoman dress in the 15th c.? What impact, if any, did the conquest of Constantinople have on Ottoman fashion trends? Was there any incorporation or influence? No 16 Renaissance 24 Anatolia 62 Fashion
subredditsummarybot

Your Weekly /r/askhistorians Recap

Friday, April 30 - Thursday, May 06

###Top 10 Posts

score comments title & link
5,525 233 comments The 1992 song "Baby Got Back" implies that White people in America disdained large female posteriors. Was this, in fact, the cultural norm at the time? And if so, to what degree, if any, did the song itself lead to a change in zeitgeist vis a vis derrieres?
4,473 99 comments When did mirrors become commonplace? Were people cool with the idea of not really knowing what they look like day-to-day, or at all?
4,216 67 comments In 1975, the UN passed a resolution that declared Zionism racist and discriminatory. In 1991, it revoked that resolution. What happened inbetween the two dates that lead to the change in global opinion?
4,171 55 comments During the heyday of TV westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, elderly viewers could have grown up in the actual Wild West. What did they think of these shows?
3,677 98 comments Germany lost 13% of it's European territory after WW1, and roughly 25% of its territory after WW2 which largely make up modern day Poland and Kaliningrad. What happened to all the Germans living in those areas?
3,630 35 comments Documents from many huge companies were sent flying over Manhattan after the towers fell. Was any confidential information unintentionally gleaned from these files? Was there a concerted recovery effort to ensure client privacy, or did people focus on the obviously graver issues at hand
3,515 24 comments In 1847, the Chocktaw Nation collected $170 to donate to the Irish during the potato famine. Was there any correspondence shortly after?
3,169 94 comments If England gave its American colonies some political representation in the House of Commons, would it have changed much? Why did they fear giving the colonies representation?
3,077 113 comments How did Georgia and Armenia manage to stay christian when they were surrounded by powerful Islamic states?
2,980 33 comments From a modern perspective, the humor in Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies seems to be far ahead of its time and more similar to modern surreal/absurdist humor than anything released in the 40s/50s. What was the contemporary reaction to it? Did audiences at the time understand it?

 

###Top 10 Comments

score comment
1,635 /u/Jordan42 replies to If England gave its American colonies some political representation in the House of Commons, would it have changed much? Why did they fear giving the colonies representation?
926 /u/dhowlett1692 replies to When did mirrors become commonplace? Were people cool with the idea of not really knowing what they look like day-to-day, or at all?
723 /u/jbdyer replies to From a modern perspective, the humor in Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies seems to be far ahead of its time and more similar to modern surreal/absurdist humor than anything released in the 40s/50s. What was the contemporary reaction to it? Did audiences at the time understand it?
617 /u/Hoyarugby replies to Germany lost 13% of it's European territory after WW1, and roughly 25% of its territory after WW2 which largely make up modern day Poland and Kaliningrad. What happened to all the Germans living in those areas?
445 /u/ParallelPain replies to Japanese castles seem to be built as a series of layers of earth held in with retaining walls, whereas European castles tend to have freestanding walls even if built on a hill. What led to these styles of fortification design being so different? Was one markedly more labour-intensive than the other?
424 /u/ForwardFootball6424 replies to Did Columbus prepare linguistically or culturally for his anticipated arrival in Japan, China, or India? Did they bring any dictionaries, guidebooks, ceremonial gifts, etc.?
411 /u/leowr replies to Germany lost 13% of it's European territory after WW1, and roughly 25% of its territory after WW2 which largely make up modern day Poland and Kaliningrad. What happened to all the Germans living in those areas?
356 /u/alexistheman replies to Documents from many huge companies were sent flying over Manhattan after the towers fell. Was any confidential information unintentionally gleaned from these files? Was there a concerted recovery effort to ensure client privacy, or did people focus on the obviously graver issues at hand
246 /u/Fubwhf replies to Japanese castles seem to be built as a series of layers of earth held in with retaining walls, whereas European castles tend to have freestanding walls even if built on a hill. What led to these styles of fortification design being so different? Was one markedly more labour-intensive than the other?
178 /u/mikedash replies to The British East India Company was one of the richest companies in human history. So why did it not end up using its riches to rebel against Great Britain and become a fully independent state during the 19th century?

 

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KimberStormer

I wish I had a fuller knowledge in order to answer this question from u/MichaelSpecks so that I could include this altarpiece by Simone Martini, showing St. Agostino flying in like Superman to save the day in four vignettes, three involving children. Dogs may attack, cradles may fall, but SWOOP! Here comes ST. AGOSTINO!

TheMuslimHistorian

So I am kind of torn between whether I should attempt to pursue a phd or not following my Master (which I have yet to start). I love history, I love doing research and writing essays and I wouldn't mind doing this for the rest of my life. However, the PhD market for historians in the Netherlands is probably even worse than in the US if that is even possible and due to personal reasons I am not able to do a PhD very far abroad. But I feel like if I don't, I will forever be disappointed and never scratch that history itch. So some perspectives from the smarter people here would be nice.

And if I don't, do some of you people have some tips on remaining engaged in history beyond just reading books? I mean, I want to actively contribute writing and historical discussions.