Cultural History Commons^™

A Pacific Island Collection In Rhode Island, Terence Hays, Mary Conaway, Susan Yeaw

Terence Hays

Collections of artifacts and specimens from Pacific Island cultures are found throughout Rhode Island. The largest and most systematically collected is in the Museum of Natural History in Roger Williams Park, Providence. The items were acquired by Rhode Island citizens over about a 150 year period from the early 1800's to the 1950's. They are from the 3 culture areas of the Pacific: Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. All form of matter including wood, shell, fiber, bone and skin, ivory, pottery, stone, and human hair are part of the artifact assemblage. The specimens (not studied for this project) include birds, lava, …

A People's History Of Baseball, Mitchell J. Nathanson

Mitchell J Nathanson

Baseball is much more than the national pastime. It has become an emblem of America itself. From its initial popularity in the mid-nineteenth century, the game has reflected national values and beliefs and promoted what it means to be an American. Stories abound that illustrate baseball's significance in eradicating racial barriers, bringing neighborhoods together, building civic pride, and creating on the field of play an instructive civics lesson for immigrants on the national character. In A People's History of Baseball, Mitchell Nathanson probes the less well-known but no less meaningful other side of baseball: episodes not involving equality, patriotism, heroism, …

Writing Indigenous Activism In Brazil: Belo Monte And The Acampamento Indígena Revolucionário, Tracy Devine Guzmán

Tracy Devine Guzmán

Claiming the authority to adopt the pen (and the laptop) on behalf of their communities and in the interest of “all humanity,” Native Brazilian writers call into question the nationalist rhetoric, colonialist rationale, and neoliberal math that have been used by the state and propped up by its dominant majority to justify recent anti-indigenous public policies in the name of Brazilian sovereignty and development. Key among these is the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, revived from military rule by the administration of President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, and currently a lynchpin of the Rousseff administration’s Accelerated Growth Program (PAC). In …

"Whence Amazonian Studies", Tracy Devine Guzmán

Tracy Devine Guzmán

A brief account of the history of Amazonian Studies and the current state of the field.

“Don't Call Me A Student-Athlete”: The Effect Of Identity Priming On Stereotype Threat For Academically Engaged African American College Athletes, Keith Harrison

Dr. C. Keith Harrison

Academically engaged African American college athletes are most susceptible to stereotype threat in the classroom when the context links their unique status as both scholar and athlete. After completing a measure of academic engagement, African American and White college athletes completed a test of verbal reasoning. To vary stereotype threat, they first indicated their status as a scholar-athlete, an athlete, or as a research participant on the cover page. Compared to the other groups, academically engaged African American college athletes performed poorly on the difficult test items when primed for their athletic identity, but they performed worse on both the …

“Brazil And Its Importance To U.S. Latino Folklore”, Tracy Devine Guzmán

Tracy Devine Guzmán

“On Writing And Indigenous Activism After A Century Of Brazilian Indigenism: O Acampamento Indígena Revolucionário And The Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam”, Tracy Devine Guzmán

Tracy Devine Guzmán

Forthcoming

Nostalgia For The Liberal Hour: Talkin' 'Bout The Horizons Of Norman Jewison's Generation, Daniel Mcneil

Daniel McNeil