Dear Everyone,
The History Department and HGSA are happy to announce that the April
Faculty Coffee Chat will be held on Thursday, April 13 from 1 PM to 2:30 PM
in the Graduate Lounge. As usual, there will be coffee, tea, and pastries
from Flour Bakery for those who attend.
Our guest this month is Dr. Caroline Elkins, Professor of History and
Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard. Dr. Elkins is
a historian of colonial violence and post-reconciliation in Africa as well
as the decline of the British Empire. Most recently, she is the author
of *Legacy
of Violence: A History of the British Empire*.
If you are interested in the history of colonial Africa, the British
Empire, or simply would like to hear about Dr. Elkins's career and
experiences, we urge you to join us next Thursday!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Sanjay
Have you ever seriously considered why bagels appear in the graduate lounge
every Wednesday?
Sure, I bring the bagels and cream cheese. But what if I am just an
instrument of something greater? Do I not often act in ways I cannot even
comprehend? (I do) How can I be held responsible for the appearance of the
bagels?
Of course, Annie first had the idea for Bagel Wednesday. But how exactly
did Annie come to such a great idea? Divine intervention? A process whose
metaphysical basis we cannot quite comprehend? Sheer chance?
Panera employees do indeed bake the bagels which we all consume. But how do
they know, really know, how to produce such bagels? We are willing to
accept that their labor power is put into motion by capital owned by JAB
Holding (the parent company of Panera). Therefore, we quickly accept the
production of bagels to be apart of a large process—the rise and expansion
of capitalism. So why do we immediately reject that their work could be
apart of even something greater?
The appearance of bagels seems wholly dependent on the coming of every
Wednesday. Physicists may have an explanation for why the earth continues
to rotate, producing the illusion of different ‘days’, but do they have an
explanation for why bagels appear in Robinson Hall on a certain ‘day’ every
‘week.’ Their pet science is no better than our best superstitions.
In the absence of an satisfying answer and an understanding of what answer
might even satisfy, we are left to simply believe. Believe in the coming of
the bagels. Let cream cheese and fried bread wash away your deepest
anxieties and confusions. Feel at ease with every bite.
Bagels will be in the lounge approx 11:45 AM.
SKP
Dear friends...
It is time. NCAA March Madness has begun, and the department is once again
organizing a bracket tournament ~with prizes~. Jump to the end for
directions on how to participate! But before that, enjoy the following
explanation of this time-honored tradition from our resident sports guy
Camden Elliott:
March Madness is Decadent and Depraved
Sporting events are (and perhaps more particularly, betting on them is)
built on ritual and superstition.
College Basketball in this country is a lot like the professional game.
Three pointers reign supreme, the court is the same size, and the referees
never seem quite sure of what a travel is. The only real differences are
they play 2 halves instead of 4 quarters, they have 6 extra seconds on the
shot clock, the three-point line is closer, only 5 personal fouls get you
ejected, and the athletes are (for the most part) unpaid.
Every year 68 teams get to go to the “Big Dance.” Our students actually
have the chance to make the tournament, at least the ones that play
basketball (although this year Princeton is in instead). 32 of those teams
won their conference (hence Princeton); only about 8 of the conferences are
good enough to expect much (keep a close eye on the Big 12, who is sending
8 of its 10 members to the Big Dance). The other 36 “bids” as they’re
colloquially known are passed out to teams who, despite losing their
conference tournament, are deemed good enough to play by a selection
committee made up of sports journalists and other (non) luminaries. Teams
are awarded a “seed” when they are named to the tournament ranging from 1
(the highest, and thus, best) to 16 (the lowest) and there are four of each
seed. The last 4 teams have a play in and won’t amount to much.
I remember reading an article some time that argued the reason why soccer
hadn’t caught on in America—at least not as a spectator sport, god knows
enough children play it—was because Americans love an underdog and in top
flight soccer the better team almost always wins. March Madness is not like
that. Well not really. It is single elimination, so the better team
certainly doesn’t always win. But there are a few rules. One seeds don’t
lose to sixteen seeds, except that one glorious game where the Retrievers
beat the Wahoos like they stole something. It wasn’t even close. There’s
always supposed to be a 5-12 upset. Beyond that there is not much to go by.
The emergent “science” of Bracketology is little more than divination by
sports shouting blowhards.
Basketball, like many other sports, tracks so many statistics that the
would-be gambler has seemingly infinite resources at their disposal. When I
was a kid there were 5, 6 stats tops. No matter how meticulous one is in
their research, you will be proven wrong. No one has ever filled out a
perfect bracket. You will not be the first. And there will always be
miracles, a Cinderella run that busts everyone’s brackets like Davidson
with Steph Curry or Butler or those aforementioned UMBC Retrievers. Fans
live and die with their teams (figuratively and, in Sister Jean’s case at
Chicago Loyola, maybe literally).
For schools, it’s big business. Even a March madness appearance, much less
success in the tournament, can increase applications and enrollment
numbers. Then there’s the merchandise and TV deals. And now that American
sports have made a full-throated investment in gambling, join us in part of
the $9 billion+ wagered annually in the event.
So partake in this strange American tradition and fill out a bracket. You
pick teams you expect to win as they advance through cleverly and
alliteratively named stages like the sweet sixteen, elite eight, and final
four. Knowledge about the sport not required (and, in most cases, only a
hindrance).
*Now, some directions:*
1. follow this link
<https://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2023/en/group?redirec…>to
ESPN's tournament challenge site for the men's bracket
and this link
<https://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket-women/2023/en/group?e…>for
the women's bracket (you are encouraged to make brackets for both!)
2. click "create a bracket now"
3. create a free ESPN account (if you don't already have one)
4. make your picks! this is easier to do on a big screen
5. *join our group "History x Harvard x Hoops" - password: robinson*
6. watch the ~madness~ play out starting tomorrow (first four) or Thursday
(main pool)!
**brackets can only be submitted before the round of 64 begins on Thursday**
Bonus: the department is providing a Coop gift card and new history tote
bag to the winners of our brackets!
Here are some resources for those of us who have not experienced March
Madness before:
What is March Madness?
<https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/bracketiq/2023-02-07/what-march-ma…>
Information on each of the women's teams
<https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/35829437/womens-n…>
Information on each of the men's teams
<https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/35806362/every-team…>
Please reach out with any questions! And good luck!!
Go 'cats,
Annie
--
Annie Boniface
PhD Candidate, History
Harvard University
Hi all!
See the following message and attachment from Sarah Sadlier:
The ASLH sponsors an annual Student Research Colloquium (SRC) for Ph.D.
students and law students in legal history. This year’s application
deadline is *June 1, 2023*.
--
Annie Boniface
PhD Candidate, History
Harvard University
Hi all,
Quick reminder: HGSA, in conjunction with faculty and staff, has
coordinated a graduate forum, taking place today at 4:00 pm in the Robinson
Hall conference room.
Snacks and beer will be provided to those joining in person. Share your
perspective and feedback about your experience with the program, the
department, and any suggestions you have for what the department could do
to build a stronger community and increase your sense of belonging!
A Zoom option will be available to those who can't make it in person.
See you all there!
*Zoom:*
Topic: History Grad Students Forum Spring 2023
Time: Apr 7, 2023 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom meeting
https://harvard.zoom.us/j/98749558170?pwd=THpDeE51ck04eXo1YlFPZWFYcmYvZz09
Password: 508524
Join by telephone (use any number to dial in)
+1 564 217 2000
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International numbers available: https://harvard.zoom.us/u/aesKfcNCG2
One tap mobile: +15642172000,,98749558170# US
Join by SIP conference room system
Meeting ID: 987 4955 8170
98749558170.508524(a)zoomcrc.com
Hi all,
We’re excited to announce that on Friday, April 7th from 3-4 PM, we’ll be hosting an open house on digital tools and research methods with Dan Smail, Gabe Pizzorno, and CODES.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re drowning in PDFs or as though there’s just got to be a better way to do things on your laptop, this is the event for you. On the flip side, if you have a set of research methods that work really well for you, please come share! And if you have thirty extra seconds and let us know in advance of problems or questions you have so we can be sure to address them, please fill out the very short Google form here<https://forms.gle/ZHjAeuf3BPicF2rZ8>.
My best,
Emma
Hello everyone!
I am writing to all of the History graduate students, as well as others who
might be on this mailing list to let you know of an upcoming event. For our
first event with the re-instated Students of Color Initiative is an event
focused on Black genealogy, which you can sign up for here
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfr_t9AJn8kjCxUUkSWOftW2emJjuLoLMI…>.
We are trying to get an accurate picture of who is interested in attending
so we can pick a date and time, as well as food. Lunch will be provided for
the event. *Please forward this email/google form link to any other
graduate students/staff members/faculty who you think might be interested
in attending.* Below is the formal description:
We are planning a genealogy workshop for graduate students interested in
either their own family histories or learning about genealogy methods for
their research. The workshop will be led by Hannah Scruggs, a Ph.D. student
in African and African American Studies (AAAS) and a public historian who
works as a Genealogy Reference Assistant for the Smithsonian National
Museum of African American History.
If you are interested in attending this Harvard event, please fill out this
form, so we can gauge your availability and plan for food, etc. This event
is being funded by the History department, but is open to graduate
students, staff, and faculty in all departments. We would like this group
to be interdepartmental!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfr_t9AJn8kjCxUUkSWOftW2emJjuLoLMI…
Thank you,
Keziah Anderson
