Author: Parker, Heather A

Take History BACK from White Supremacists

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by undergraduate student, Rohit Kandala ’19

On March 15, 2019, the world stood in silence as 50 people were massacred and 50 more were injured in the Christchurch mosque shootings. I remember waking up that morning and staying silent for a couple hours as the news reports started to pour in. Throughout the entire ordeal, what saddened me most was that Christchurch wasn’t a surprise—and no one can pretend that it was a coincidence.

Luckily, most media outlets no longer phrase the systematic and global problem of white supremacy as a “rising threat”—it’s already clear that it’s here and it’s not a fringe movement. But, this article isn’t about white supremacy as much as it is about how history has been kidnapped and corrupted by this movement to serve its perverse needs. Misinformation is the problem.

Before I go further, I have two conditions: I will not list the perpetrator’s name as that is exactly what he and his movement want and I will list two assumptions I have:

1. Currently, History is expressed through more mediums than ever. While, K-12 education is still formative, online mediums like Facebook & YouTube are increasingly used more often either for education or entertainment. Unfortunately, most of weaponized history also occurs on these new and less regulated platforms.

2. Fortunately or unfortunately, History is fluid & is constantly re-shaping itself. This results in different interpretations over time, and people can exploit that to create the representation they’d like.

Both these statements, which I hold to be true, have wide-ranging effects on History and how it’s understood.

First off, the fact that history is now more accessible because of advances in digital communications is a great thing! In fact, it’s a cost-efficient method to reverse the worrying trend of apathy for history amongst the public. I am an adamant supporter of using YouTube as a social media platform for history enthusiasts and professionals alike—it’s the future that history needs to adapt to. But, the accessibility of these services also allow figures such as Alex Jones (who had 2,431,237 subscribers before YouTube disbanded his channel[1]), Stefan Molyneux (911,000 subscribers[2]), and Sargon of Akkad (927,000 subscribers[3]) to flourish and promote their “free-thinking and rational community”.

That’s BS.

All these channels are not the same, but they are enablers for white supremacists to thrive in today’s information age. No channel wants to outright promote “hate speech” or “racism” that violate community guidelines—but they construct bloated arguments with a thin sprinkle of facts that let the viewer, an impressionable male usually in their early-to-mid 20s, “come” to the conclusion that white supremacy is supported by history. For example, “Replacement Theory”—which motivated the perpetrator to do what he did—is a very popular theory covered by YouTuber Lauren Southern (she has 699,000 subscribers while the video has 647,119 views[4]). But, these channels grow even more impactful on online messaging boards like Reddit and 4chan—which are far less moderated and thus even more crass.

This brings me to my second point: the fluid nature of history. Historians rarely agree even on the most minute of details, but we do agree that history is subjective and dependent on the person who wrote it. At UConn, we learn this in our HIST 2100, “Historian’s Craft” class in order to become better historical thinkers. No serious historian thinks of history as deterministic and if they do—they’re probably from the 19th century. This ability to manipulate information like this allows for white supremacy opinion leaders to cater to their audience while barely carrying the “I’m a legitimate historian” card. Moreover, if they’re actually judged by the same intellectual rigor students and academics are put through—they can claim to be “entertainers”. You cannot claim to be both, and if you do, you are none of those things.

This point brings me to my solution to the misinformation problem—and it is not an easy problem to fix. Yet, one thing is clear, accessibility should not be tampered with. It is the internet’s, and by extension, YouTube’s greatest strength. Rather, the solution lies in education. As stated above, students of history, if studied seriously, are subjected to historical analysis standards. A good analysis would have high quality sources, a strong thesis that is prevalent through the entire paper, and an overwhelming amount of evidence. How does this apply to online spaces like YouTube? For example, the quickest way to debunk an argument in favor of scientific racism is to evaluate the quality of the sources. Oftentimes, they are poor in quality and that is more than enough to de-rail said argument. Historical analysis is a learned skill and educating (or even simply maintaining an online presence) people about it could go a long way.

Again, I am hopeful—probably foolishly so. At least, the mass media is starting to acknowledge the historical misinformation in the digital space. A recent article by the NY Times succinctly and clearly defined the problem behind “Replacement Theory” and how it’s a continuation of the problem. But, pointing the problem simply won’t do. White supremacists don’t read the NY Times or traditional media outlets, they go on YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, 4chan, Twitter and other networks[5].

That’s why I insisted on posting this on The History Department’s website at UConn—my audience is my professors, grad/Ph.D students, and (some) undergraduates. We are trained to think historically at a time when our discipline is being trampled because we haven’t properly adapted to digital spaces (although there’s been some recent breakthroughs in public history).

It’s time to take back history to what it’s about. We are all interested in history for various reasons. Some of us are obsessed with maps, some with battle dates, some with political history, and some with area studies. But, we all appreciate the past for what it is, and it’s our duty to inform others of worrying trends, misinformation, and hopefully how great studying history can be. History isn’t about hate or love—it’s about empathy and “how”.

If not, New Zealand—a country that continually strives to be better for all its peoples—and others like it will take the fall. Please—let this be the last. When someone asks me to write about this period 50 years from now, I’d like to say that New Zealand was the turning point when we historians banded together and proactively swept away the pseudo-intellectualism of white supremacy.

And if the problem still seems like a world away and a tiny threat (even though the internet isn’t dependent on location)—just take a peek in your backyard[6].

Footnotes:

[1] “The Alex Jones Channel”, Channel User Statistics, Socialblade, accessed March 26, 2019, https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/thealexjoneschannel

[2] “Stefan Molyneux”, Channel User Statistics, Socialblade, accessed March 26, 2019, https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/stefbot

[3]  “Sargon of Akkad”, Channel User Statistics, Socialblade, accessed March 26, 2019, https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/sargonofakkad100

[4] “Lauren Southern”, Channel User Statistics, Socialblade, accessed March 26, 2019, https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCla6APLHX6W3FeNLc8PYuvg

[5] Emma Grey Ellis, “The Year the Alt-Right Went Underground,” WIRED, January 1, 2019, https://www.wired.com/story/alt-right-went-underground/

[6] Rachel Philipson, “Known white nationalist organization flyers appear on UConn campus”, The Daily Campus, March 14, 2019, http://dailycampus.com/stories/2019/3/14/known-white-nationalist-organization-flyers-appear-on-uconn-campus

In Memoriam: Dr. Emiliana Pasca Noether

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Emiliana Pasca Noether 2017-2018
Emiliana Pasca Noether January 15, 1917 – March 24, 2018

Emiliana (Liliana to family) was a professor of Italian history, whose career paved a path for the recognition and promotion of future generations of female scholars. After receiving her Ph.D. in history from Columbia University in 1948, Professor Noether taught Italian history at New York University, Rutgers University, Regis College, Simmons College and the University of Connecticut, where the Emiliana Pasca Noether Chair in Modern Italian History was established in her honor upon her retirement in 1987. Following her retirement, she continued to share her learning by teaching in various elder education programs.

Professor Noether was appointed twice as a Senior Fulbright Research Scholar – in 1964-65 and in 1982 – to further her scholarship in Italian historical studies. She was among the first group of fellows at Radcliffe College’s Bunting Institute when it was founded in 1961 to promote women scholars, an experience that she described as “a second chance…after having been relegated to the professional dustbin” for taking time off to be a parent. She went on to serve as president of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians and the New England Historical Association, and to chair the American Historical Association’s Committees on Italian-American Historical Relations and Women Historians. She authored nearly 100 professional articles and books on Italian history and cultural and intellectual ties between Italy and the English-speaking world, and mentored many graduate students – both women and men – over her long career.

Liliana was born in Naples, Italy and emigrated to the United States as a young child.  She grew up in New York City in a family of Italian musicians and teachers. In 1942, she married Gottfried (Friedel) E. Noether (1915-1991), a statistician and refugee from Nazi Germany, with whom she shared a passion for music, the arts, and worldwide travel. She is survived by her daughter, Monica Noether, and two grandchildren, Braden and Shannon Harvey.

First Foreign Policy Seminar of Fall 2017

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Assoc. Professor Daniel Immerwahr, Northwestern UniversityPlease join us for the first Foreign Policy Seminar of Fall 2017!

The guest speaker is Daniel Immerwahr of Northwestern University. The title of his talk is “Nobody Knows in America, Puerto Rico’s in America: Colonial Medicine, Militant Nationalism, and the U.S. Empire.”

The talk will be held on Friday, September 22 in the Wood Hall Basement Lounge. A reception with refreshments will start at 4:30pm and the talk will begin at 5pm.

Professor Immerwahr is an historian of the United States and the world, serving in the history department at Northwestern University. His first book, Thinking Small (Harvard, 2015), offers a critical account of the United States’ pursuit of grassroots development at home and abroad in the middle of the twentieth century. He is currently working on another book, How to Hide an Empire, about the United States’ overseas territory.

8/28 – 11th Annual History Graduate Student Research Conference

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Conference Schedule – Monday, August 28, 207

All sessions held in the Class of ’47 Room in the Homer Babbidge Library


Session A: 1:15-2:45 pm
Panel One: Governance, Institutions, and Movements in New England
Chair: Danielle Dumaine

Nicole Breault, “Peace and Good Order in the Streets”: The Work of the Constable’s Watch in Eighteenth-Century Boston

Abdullah Alhatem, “The Domestic Slave Trade in New England”

Britney Murphy, “The Fall of Mount Trashmore and the Rise of Community Activism: Environmental Justice and the Politics of Inclusion, Bridgeport, CT (1991-Present)”

Commentator: Matthew Guariglia


Coffee Break – 2:45-3:00
Coffee, tea, assorted cookies


Session B: 3:00-4:45 pm
Panel Two: Power and Influence in World Affairs
Chair: Maggie Stack

Erik Freeman, “‘True Christianity’: The Flowering and Fading of Mormonism and Romantic Socialism in Nineteenth-Century France”

Frances Martin, “Who’s Watching the Clock? Rise of the Doomsday Clock as a Pop Culture Phenomenon”

David Evans, “False Harvest: U.S. Foreign Relations and the Dream of Agricultural Power during the 1970s”

Lauren Stauffer, “From the North to the South Atlantic: NATO and the Falklands War”

Commentator: Gabrielle Westcott

 

Keynote Address:  5:00 pm

Jonathan Chu
Professor of History, University of Massachusetts-Boston
Editor, New England Quarterly

“Wrestling with the Devil: An Historian Becomes an Editor”

 

10/11 – The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad

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Please join us for the 18th Annual Fusco Distinguished Lecture with

Eric Foner
DeWitt Clinton Professor of History Columbia University

October 11, 2016, 4:00 PM
Dodd Center, Konover Auditorium

“Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad”
Based on his most recent book, Professor Foner’s lecture draws on newly discovered documents to paint a portrait of the underground railroad in the eastern United States, focusing especially on the role of New York City as a central hub. It explores the impact of the fugitive slave issue on national politics, and examines the motivations and actions of hundreds of slaves who managed to escape, and the underground railroad operatives who assisted them.

About Prof. Foner:
Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, specializes in the Civil War and Reconstruction, slavery, and 19th-century America. He is one of only two persons to serve as President of the Organization of American Historians, American Historical Association, and Society of American Historians. His book, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery won the Pulitzer, Bancroft, and Lincoln prizes for 2011. His latest book is Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad.
This lecture series is made possible by the Edmund J. Fusco, Sr. Fund for Excellence in History.

10/7 – “The Texas Gun Frontier and the Travails of Mexican History”

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Please join us for the first Fall 2016 Foreign Policy Seminar!

Brian DeLay
Associate Professor of History
University of California, Berkeley

“The Texas Gun Frontier and the Travails of Mexican History”

Friday, October 7 – 4:30pm
Wood Hall, Basement Lounge
 
“At the height of Mexico’s drug war, many Americans were shocked to learn that there were three licensed U.S. arms dealers in the borderlands for each mile of border, and that these enterprising merchants helped to illegally send about a quarter million guns into Mexico each year. But this was no new phenomenon; U.S. arms exports have been destabilizing Mexican politics for two centuries.
In “The Texas Gun Frontier and the Travails of Mexican History,” historian Brian DeLay will explain how the borderland trade in guns and ammunition shaped Mexico’s tumultuous first century, from its independence war in the 1810s through its Revolution one hundred years later.”
About Prof. DeLay:
Brian DeLay received his PhD from Harvard University in 2004. DeLay’s 2008 book, War of a Thousand Deserts: Indian Raids and the U.S.-Mexican War (Yale University Press), won prizes from several different scholarly organizations. He has served as a Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer, and has received fellowships from the ACLS, the American Philosophical Society, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and other organizations. He is the editor of North American Borderlands (Routledge, 2012), and is now at work on a monograph titled “Shoot the State: Arms, Capitalism, and Freedom in the Americas Before Gun Control,” under contract with W.W. Norton.

Huskies Forever Alumni Weekend: History Events Fri, Oct 21

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History will again participate in the Huskies Forever Alumni Weekend! We are excited to offer two interesting panel discussions!

“Humans and Animals in History” – faculty panel, featuring

Kenneth Gouwens
Ricardo Salazar-Rey
Nancy Shoemaker

The faculty panel will be followed by refreshments.

Professional Life After History – alumni career panel, featuring

Beth Kilmarx
Jonathan Krezel
Virgilio Lopez
Matthew Necci

This information will be updated as the event date draws closer. For more information about the events across campus that weekend and to register to attend, please visit huskiesforever.uconn.edu

A Conversation with Professor Blanca Silvestrini

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L-R: Jorell Melendez Badillo, PhD candidate in History; Dr. Blanca Silvestrini, History Department
Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, PhD candidate in History, with Professor Blanca Silvestrini, History Department

Blanca G. Silvestrini, an attorney and historian, who recently retired from the History Department after 42 years in academics, has spent her professional life reaching out beyond the Ivory Tower and the courtroom to students, refugee children and repressed women, among other groups.

This spring, Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, a Ph.D. candidate in history, had the opportunity to talk to Professor Silvestrini about her career and her plans for the future.

As she told Meléndez-Badillo, in the interview “my heart beat history, my thought is legally oriented and I have always aspired to reach out to people, whether inside or outside of the classroom.”

Silvestrini will continue her active research life into Caribbean culture and society with an “emphasis on people, real people living in the region but also people on the move.”

Silvestrini received a doctorate in history from SUNY-Albany; her interests in law and society in Puerto Rico led her to earn a law degree and J.S.M. from Stanford University.

The two academic degrees mesh perfectly with Silvestrini’s philosophy and research focuses.

“My teaching and research have gone hand in hand,” she told Meléndez-Badillo. “I approach law as a historical product and research how it affects change in society. “ She gave as an example her course in Latinos/as and Human Rights in which she emphasized changes, influences, contradictions, successes and failures of social movements.

She said teaching, which she began at age 26 at the University of Puerto Rico, sustains her. Despite administrative jobs in academia, she has always returned to the classroom.

She defined teaching as a “reciprocal process” in which students and faculty give to each other. Young people, she said, “force you to think in a different way … (they) anchor you in the present, ask questions you hadn’t thought about and drive your creativity to a new level.”

She reminds her students that young people created the civil rights movements and have been leaders of their times.

In the classroom, her mantra was “history is about real people,” always encouraging students to think of themselves, their families and their communities “as part of history.”

Predictably, a teacher first led Silvestrini to pursue history – a turning point in her life that should remind all students of the value of the core curriculum. She had entered undergraduate studies as a math major but an opening in a Renaissance history course, required to take, turned into a breakthrough experience when, knowing her interest in science, her professor suggested she read a biography of Leonardo da Vinci.

It was the first “real” history book she had ever read and its impact was so great she switched majors to history. That professor became “my role model,” she said. “Beyond content, he taught me how to be a historian.”

It is a role Silvestrini has taken on for countless undergraduate and graduate students, who, like herself, she has required to diversify their studies by reading novels and ethnographies and analyzing films, legal cases and statistics.

Her focus on interdisciplinary studies was intensified as part of a faculty group that helped create the UConn Human Rights Institute, founded in 2003 by eight Liberal Arts and Sciences academic departments and the Schools of Business and Law to advance the study and teaching of human rights. It now has healthy major and minor programs.

Professor Silvestrini has “mentored a generation of historians, social scientists and legal scholars,” wrote Meléndez-Badillo in the introduction to his interview with her.

“Working closely with her at the University of Connecticut has transformed my conception of the uses of historical scholarship can have within and beyond the ivory tower,” he continued.

A review of Silvestrini’s scholarship and publications makes clear the breadth and depth of her interests.

Among her books, in Spanish and English, are studies of female resistance, the politics and violence and criminality of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean as well as the history of that region of the hemisphere. Her countless journal articles take long looks at research resources in Puerto Rico, Latino culture and civil rights, working conditions for women and the Puerto Rican legal system, among other topics.

She is also a practicing attorney and serves as a counselor-at-law and consultant attorney in cases related to immigration and Puerto Rican family and inheritance law for a Cambridge, Mass.-based law firm.

And although she is leaving the classroom for now, Silvestrini’s creative mind continues to lead her in new directions of research and activism.

These fields include legally representing Central American refugee children, health and citizenship in Puerto Rico (the subject of her latest book), and, in a unique avenue of investigation, the cuisine of Puerto Rico at the turn of the 20th century when profound cultural and societal changes were taking place.

“The question brings together the social and economic transformations from an agricultural to an industrial society, the impact of the transition fro Spanish to American colonials, the incorporation of women in the work force … and the expansion of the state powers into education, public health and urbanization,” she told Meléndez-Badillo. As weighty as these investigations sound, Silvestrini also said she plans to have some “fun” with the project by finding recipes and collecting stories.

How entertaining and educational it will be for all historians to read the results of this undertaking. Thank you, Blanca Silvestrini, for your continued mentoring and work in the field of history.

 

Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, a PhD candidate in History, interviewed his advisor Professor Blanca Silvestrini in Spring 2016. Meléndez-Badillo is accomplished in his own right: he is a 2016-17 recipient of the Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship.

Terese Karmel, Department of Journalism, wrote this article.