According to this article, Chinatown's are being squeezed. This is an old story; people have been predicting the demise of Philadelphia's Chinatown since at least the 1920s. It is true that gentrification is an issue, and that new immigration from China and elsewhere is down. investment from China is up. If Philadelphia's Chinatown is dying,… Continue reading America’s Chinatowns Are Disappearing | Smart News
Miley Cyrus’ Grotesque Bodies
I know I'm a little late to the party here on this, but it took me some time to find the time to write this! Much has been made of Miley Cyrus's performance at the VMAs in September--most of it hand wringing and pearl clutching over the spectacle of a young woman, a former Disney… Continue reading Miley Cyrus’ Grotesque Bodies
Ask A Slave: A Comedy Web Series
Here’s an interesting public history take. Actress and comedian Azie Mira Dungey used to work as a historical reenactor at Mount Vernon. This new comedy series is based on the questions her character fielded from tourists to the site. I think it's a unique way to highlight some of the issues such "living history" raises, as… Continue reading Ask A Slave: A Comedy Web Series
The Memories Museum of Dr. Mohammed al-Khatib
In the midst of one of the many cramped and crowded alleyways of Beirut’s Shatila refugee camp, close to qa’at al-sha’ab, or the people’s hall, is a brown metal door leading to a ground-floor apartment and the relatively unknown museum of 66-year-old Mohammed al-Khatib, who collected 1,000 personal objects from Palestinians who fled the 1947-48 ethnic cleansing… Continue reading The Memories Museum of Dr. Mohammed al-Khatib
Library at Georgia State University Receives $210,000 NEH Grant | University Library Blog
Next year's gig. A new project at GSU collaborating with the library to produce geoferenced maps of urban renewal in ATL. I'll be directing the oral history component. Library at Georgia State University Receives $210,000 NEH Grant | University Library Blog.
Murals Reclaiming Space in Philadelphia’s Chinatown
Murals are a powerful mode of communication in urban spaces, a vivid way of conveying important values and narratives in an immediate and visual way. And because they are located in and part of the existing urban landscape, they have a lot to say about place as well. grounded in the community, they create, reinforce… Continue reading Murals Reclaiming Space in Philadelphia’s Chinatown
How can murals help the urban landscape and its history?
"Putting a Good Face on Street Art, to Upgrade Atlanta" in Friday's New York Times, profiled the activities of Living Wall's 2012 program. The project creates murals around Atlanta in blighted areas. This year, LW focused exclusively on female artists, and invited 28 artists from around the world to contribute artwork. In addition to the… Continue reading How can murals help the urban landscape and its history?
Racial ambivalence and the Old/New South of “Show Boat”
The other night I had occasion to re-view James Whale's 1936 film version of the classic American musical "Show Boat." Unlike the much more inferior 1951 MGM film, this version is considered highly faithful to the original Broadway show, first produced in 1927 at the Ziegfield Theater. Based on Edna Ferber's 1926 bestselling novel of… Continue reading Racial ambivalence and the Old/New South of “Show Boat”
Public History’s Great Showing at the 2012 NCPH/OAH Annual Meeting
Digital public history was very much in the spotlight in Milwaukee, according to this HNN article. Glad to see public historians getting visibility for what they are doing in the digital realm. http://hnn.us/articles/public-history-had-great-showing-2012-ncphoah-annual-meeting
Gastronomic history
Now this is living history I can get into... NY Times writer revisits the sights, sounds, and tastes of an early 19th c. French guide book, Almanachs des Gourmands, penned by Napoleonic-era aristocrat Alexandre-Balthazar-Laurent Grimod de la Reynière. Some of the restaurants he lists are still around today. http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/travel/22Grimod.html
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