Tag: Tara Strauch
The Victorians Did WHAT?
When I was an undergrad one of the pervasive stories about Americans in the nineteenth century was that doctors used vibrators to cure women of “hysteria.” It was an intoxicating historical assertion–those stodgy, chaste Victorians were also secretly using sex to treat women’s mental health! Astonishing! Except, it probably isn’t true. In a recent peer-reviewed ...
Centre Trail Podcast 17: Archives and Records of Human Knowledge
John and Tara talk about the tragic fire at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. What does it mean to lose these records of human knowledge, and how do historians approach the reality of limitations to the knowledge we have collected? What are archives and how do historians use them? We talk broadly ...
Centre Trail Podcast 16: Passing Away of Public Figures
Following the passing of Senator John McCain, we discuss the history of social conventions honoring the passing of public figures, particularly in political office. In the United States, the importance of lowering flags can become the center of huge discussions and arguments regarding respect; furthermore, John McCain’s passing and the trajectory of his political career ...
We’re Gonna Teach ‘Em How to Say Goodbye
This summer I saw Hamilton. If you have been living under a rock somewhere and the genius of Lin Manuel Miranda has somehow escaped you, do a quick Google search. I’ll wait. Much to my 6 year old’s dismay, I did not take him with me–I took my husband instead. We didn’t get to sit ...
Centre Trail Podcast 15: Frederick Douglass & Black Panther
Tara and John get together at the end of Black History Month to discuss the life of Frederick Douglass, whose two hundredth birthday was this past February 14th. We particularly focus on the impact of his famous memoir A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and think about this month’s release of the new ...
Centre Trail Podcast 14: The Winter Olympics
Tara and John discuss the Winter Olympics in Pyeonchang, South Korea and some wider historical questions around the Olympic Games. Where does this idea come from, how does it translate into a type of “Olympic ideal” and what are some of the ramifications of this for how countries interact with each other?
Olympic Roundup
In honor of our podcast coming out tomorrow, here are a few links to good reads about the olympics: Why are Jamaican runners so good? This article tackles some of the historical and cultural issues embedded in that question. Skis are more than 4,000 years old. And according to this piece they have changed a ...
