why history?

Karl Marx noted that:

Man makes his own history, but he does not make it out of the whole cloth; he does not make it out of conditions chosen by himself, but out of such as he finds close at hand. The tradition of all past generations weighs like an alp upon the brain of the living. At the very time when men appear engaged in revolutionizing things and themselves, in bringing about what never was before, at such very epochs of revolutionary crises do they anxiously conjure up into their service the spirits of the past, assume their names, their battle cries, their costumes to enact a new historic scene in such time-honored disguise and with such borrowed language.

which seems quite apt. I've been thinking a lot lately about distinctions between disciplines and my motivation for choosing to pursue my studies in history when my interests rum the gamut of the humanities, from anthropology to sociology.

Marx's insight seemingly encapsulates the essence of the importance of studying history, and is certainly more eloquently stated than the plain fact of the matter: history matters to us all and inevitably influences the making of tomorrow's history.

undeniably feminist

For whatever reason, I began this blog with the intention of presenting myself in an androgynous way; to avail myself of the freedom offered by the web and experiment with my identity in the absence of gender constraints. While this remains an enticing possibility, I have determined that it must be set aside for a special project, one that is decidedly dedicated to investigating questions of gender and identity.

For the purposes of this blog, I now realize that I cannot stifle my femininity or my feminism; for better or for worse, gender has stamped its permanent mark upon my life experience and, consequently, my world view. If I am to be wholly myself on this blog and accurately transcribe my thoughts and experiences, I simply cannot skim over the fact of my gender and the ways that my life is shaped in this gendered world.

Thanks are owed to Robert Reich for helping me to come to this realization. And also to the cult of anti-feminism, exemplified by sites like this (and blogs like this and this), which I happened to stumble upon recently and which likewise inspired me to own up to my feminism and stand up in the blogosphere for human equality.

new semester angst

I've learned that I cannot take my chosen two political science classes as planned. Apparently, since I am enrolled through the history department, I must take at least one class there. And what with me only being able to take two classes at no cost, I must sacrifice one of the pol sci classes.

Alas, this will require serious consideration, as I had my heart set on them both...

PS 532: Blacks and the American Political System An assessment of the position of Blacks in the political system of the United States, both historical and contemporary, with special attention to alternative political strategies for the present political epoch. Special emphasis will be placed on urban political systems.

I lean towards this class because it would expand my understanding of the ways the law interacts with societal minorities, but I'm dissuaded by the "emphasis on urban political systems" aspect. Partly, that's because I'm not sure what that indicates: is it a focus on municipal political system, or an investigation into the unique legal mechanisms utilized in urban areas? Perhaps I ought to e-mail the Professor...

PS 535: Constitutional Law and Separation of Powers An analysis of leading Supreme Court decisions dealing with the use of and curbs upon federal powers to enact economic and social legislation with special attention to urban issues. Resolution of conflicts engendered by the federal system and separation of powers also will be studied.

This is the other class,and for some reason I just love the idea of a constitutional law class. I've also already talked to this Professor, and I like her. Then again, I could likely embark upon a course of independent readings and get as much out of it; surely she would be happy to guide me unofficially in such an endeavor.

And there I have it. After writing it through, I see the course of action that I should take in this regard. Yay for blogging!

The other consideration at hand is 'Which history class to take?' I've narrowed it down to three --

HIST 502: Contemporary Africa A study of the emergence of Africa since 1945 with emphasis on the role of nations of the continent in both regional and world affairs.

HIST 521: History of Women in America An examination of the problems, challenges and experiences of American women from the colonial period to the 21st century.

HIST 546: Historical Research A course designed to assist students, especially those completing a thesis, in honing both their research and writing competencies.

The only course I haven't already taken as an undergraduate is the Africa class. Generally I'm interested in Atlantic World studies, but more so in the slave trade era. And African diaspora and colonization studies are also quite interesting, but I'm not immediately drawn to the "since 1945" era. Then again, it is admittedly a time and place about which I am not very knowledgeable. And I will likely have to select a field off minor concentration for any of my Ph.D. programs, and I'm already well situated to do that with African and/or African-American studies, so I might be well served to take this class.

I have until next Thursday to make up my mind, so I'll be giving the matter all due consideration over the weekend.

a winter's nap

As the earth prepares to bed down for a long winter's nap, so it goes that I, too, find myself waning into a period of rest and hibernation.

I survived the standardized exam, hellish experience that it was; I have now been measured and my score - whatever it might be - will reflect my acumen as accurately as it possibly could. If that's not very accurate, so be it. I'm confident that the other components of my application will suffice to prove my worth to these schools. And I've also come to realize that its no big thing if I'm not accepted to the law schools; I'll be able to thrive in any of the Ph.D. programs I've applied to, and I'll most certainly be accepted to one of them...

This evening I completed my last obligation for my only remaining class of the semester. Tomorrow I'll submit those book reviews, sit through one last book discussion, and then this semester will officially come to an end for me.

For the next several weeks I can take it slow and easy, breathe, and enjoy the holiday season with loved ones. There are a few loose ends to tidy up for my grad school application endeavors, and I have yet to get my schedule for next semester figured out. (Thanks to an uncharacteristic lack of response from one of my oldest and dearest professors who is acting as my interim advisor in the absence of our department chair, who would be my advisor were he not on a leave of absence due to ill health.) So there will be some semblance of productivity, but for the most part I can relax in the absence of any real obligations between semesters.

storms are raging inside and out

A cold front is battling warm gulf air for dominance in my region, resulting in a cold and dreary winter storm outside my window. And as I sit here all cozy in my warm, comfortable house, I'm grateful for the luxury to do so. I think of all the people who lived their lives without such soundly built homes or safe, effective indoor lighting, and I realize how much more in tune such people were with their surroundings, as well as how dependent they were on the weather.

Certainly the weather still affects us in modern times, as Hurricane Katrina effectively demonstrated, but here and now we are far less at the whim of nature than any of our ancestors ever were. To wit, that I am even now leisurely and luxuriously reading and writing -- actively engaged in the transmission of knowledge -- while a thunderstorm rages outside is testament to the very real ways that progress breeds progress.

Even still, I wonder about our modern disengagement with the natural world, and I ponder whether it will prove to be a foolhardy course of action for humanity to take or if technological innovation will indeed propel our species into a new mode of existence....

Obviously, the history of science and society is still on my mind. I hope that I have chosen the right path with this interdisciplinary foray I am taking into the history of law and society. Probably so, because the socio-cultural innovations which I see as akin to technological developments will likely require more in-depth study. With background training in the nuanced field of law, I can go on to later expand my area of expertise to include humanity's utilization of material technologies.

After all, if I wish to seriously investigate the two phenomenon, I'll have to begin with one of the two. Truly, I could do it either way, but I feel like I'm presently better situated to begin with the socio-cultural side of the coin.

abortion in historical perspective

I wrote this a while back, but came across it recently and realized that it ought to be posted here:

Abortion has always been a women’s issue. It has not always been a medical issue, or a legal issue, but it has always been an issue of personal liberty and reproductive freedom for women.

As a historian-in-training, I’m convinced of the value of perspective. All too often people don’t stop to consider the larger picture, and so they fail to see the context surrounding our many “contemporary social problems.” I think that, just as with any number of other such problems, abortion can and should be analyzed and considered in historical context; not as some abhorrent aberration, but as the result of complex historical happenstance. By seeking to understand the history surrounding the current debate we can reach a more nuanced, profound comprehension of the issue.

This is by no means meant to be an exhaustive telling of the history of birth control; rather, it is intended as a sketch of the sexual politics and power that have held sway over women’s lives for so many millennia, which is being played out presently, in part, in the abortion debate.

Before the advent of a reliable oral contraceptive in the 1950s, women’s lives were controlled by birth. Prior to that, a woman could not exert much control over her sexual and reproductive functions – that was the province of her father, her husband, or her brother. There was no such thing as reproductive freedom; ordinary women’s very lives were at the mercy of their husband’s sex drives. Who can imagine the countless sorrowful women who died in childbirth or from pregnancy complications? And how many of those pregnancies were unintentional?

Abortion is a form of birth control. For as long as women have been sentient they have dealt with issues of birth control, including abortion and infanticide. Since the dawn of civilization The Powers That Be have legislated dictates proscribing when and how such acts are acceptable. These are not new issues.

Women have not historically been afforded the personal liberty to determine for themselves when they might reproduce. They have been beholden unto their husbands' desires, and not free to decide whether or when they wanted to be mothers. It was a given: women were, by their biological nature, wives and mothers.

Only in the modern world have women been granted the freedom and – through the birth control pill and other, newer contraceptive innovations – the license to exercise any significant influence over the sexual and reproductive aspects of their persons. The abortion debate is about how much reproductive freedom society is willing to allow women. It is not about the sanctity of human life; that is an issue in the debate, no doubt, but it is not the central issue. The central issue of the abortion debate is female autonomy, and it always has been.

Women have always sought to control their procreative function — be it via contraception or abortion or infanticide — as a way to exert some measure of influence over their lot in life, and they always will. And that is precisely why they continue do so today, and why ardent feminists will always be in favor of granting women access to safe abortions.

standardized test blues

On Saturday I'm scheduled to sit for the LSAT so that I can complete my application to the American Legal History program at Penn, as well as the ad hoc dual degree program I'm trying to convince Tulane to allow me to pursue.

I've not studied. The test purports to measure my reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and analytical writing skills. Quite honestly I think that I'm in possession of these skills in abundance, and that I'm certainly not lacking in these skills any moreso than the average test taker. It is, after all, a standardized test, meant to rank me in line with the rest of the test takers; to assign my worth a numerical value by which I can be measured against others.

I abhor the standardized test. The ACT, SAT, GRE, the LSAT, and all the others seem to me little more than extortion. Because of the existence of such tests and the importance placed upon them by universities, one cannot get into the academy without spending hundreds of dollars between the test fee itself and the cost of the score reports. Hundreds of dollars, by the way, are not generally easily accessible to aspiring graduate students. (My tactic - while perhaps not wise, it was the most feasible option - was to max out my credit cards on the various test fees, application fees, and score report fees.)

And I'm offended at being whittled down to a percentile. If I score in the ninetieth percentile on the verbal section of the GRE, what does that really prove if my writing sample - also a required component of any grad school application - is not coherent and convincing? It only proves that I either had the time and/or money to take a course or buy a book that famliairzed me with the questions and that I have the ability to manipulate the system to my advantage.

That's not the case, however. I'm in another boat altogether. My test score, I fear, will be mediocre, but I remain hopeful that the other components of my application - writing sample, letters of recommendation, GPA, etc. - will prove my worth and allow me acceptance into one of my chosen schools.

As it is, I was prepared to review the official LSAT Preparation Booklet this evening and at least familiarize myself with the format and the types of questions that will appear on the exam. Unfortunately, it is my neighbor's daughter's first birthday, and I cannot concentrate on the exam prep materials for the merry-making-noise that continues to filter through the thin duplex walls. Alas, I fear my LSAT effort is doomed to mediocrity.