Paper Crunch

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Late one September evening the name of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla became forever engraved in Mexico's history. Since that night, his life as well as that of Mexico, changed radically. Before that historic moment when his voice cried out to demand Mexico’s independence from the Spanish crown El Cura Hidalgo, Father Hidalgo, as he was called, was exactly that -- an old priest from a parish in the small town of Dolores, Guanajuato. It was there that he organized meetings with the townspeople and taught the farmers to work the land. He was an enthusiastic and hard-working man, always worrying about the well-being of his community. To help the indigenous, he built an estate where he established a pottery shop, a tanning shop, a ...

Blaise de Monluc was a highly honored war hero of his day. Honored by both England and France for his ability to command and plan defensive or offensive measures. From an academic standpoint as is in the textbook it is addressed that most siege battles were not won in a matter of days but rather developed into wars of attrition. These long, drawn out stand offs would no doubt destroy the morale of soldiers on both sides. Whether the army was made up of mercenaries, the King’s men, or a mixture of both. However Monluc addresses, briefly the role of women during the siege of Siena and the books does much less. In a way both are guilty in perpetuating the stereotype that women are not made for war. It is hard to say who would have it...

During the first Sino-Japanese war (1894-1895) Japan fought against China over control of the country Korea. After losing the majority of the war China eventually recognized Korea as an independent country but conceded the Liaodong peninsula, Formosa (now Taiwan) and the Pescadores Islands to Japan. However, the Triple Intervention constructed by Russia, France and Germany forced Japan to give up the Liaodong peninsula. Over these terms Japan became very bitter. Japan had always wanted to be recognized as an equal nation with the ability to colonize to its European counterparts. However all of their efforts to prove this were doing nothing to further themselves as a colonial nation. Since western gunboat diplomacy Japan had rapidly m...

In Guenter Lewy’s book The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies (published by Oxford University Press in 2000), the long-standing history of hatred of the Gypsies in Europe is revealed and analyzed. Lewy begins the book informing the reader that Gypsies, now known as the Roma or Sinti, have always existed in cultural limbo in Europe. The Gypsies, unlike the Jews, have never really assimilated into civilized European society. In the modern age of the 1920’s, 1930’s, and 1940’s very few Gypsies had moved into apartments or homes, gotten respectable jobs or even educations. They still occupied a space within the stratified society that was pummeled with prejudices, fear and hatred of ‘normal’ Europeans. In his book Lewy draws parall...

When John McCain announced in his concession speech that America “…Never hides from history.” he probably was not truly aware as to how false that statement sadly is. America has a love affair of hiding from, lying about, or retelling history. Neusius and Gross’s account of the Hispanic/Mission Period of Calirfornia’s history is not immune to this deception. The authors manage to paint a 52 year period filled with the total detrsuction of the Chumash culture as a period where some Franciscan monks built some nice mission building and invited the natives in to have a nice cup of tea and gleefully till some fields. Most, if not all, historians would disagree with this sunny portrait of mission life painted by Neusius and Gross...

In Sion Sono’s 2007 film ‘Ekusute’ he writes a story with a new foe to be afraid of and that is hair. Yes. Hair. Human hair is used in hair extensions, which are to give people sewed or glued into wefts that provide fullness and length. Hair extensions are quickly growing in popularity with Tyra Banks constantly talking about her weave and how much the tracks itch. Celebrities show up at a club one night with short hair but by the next week they have locks that Lady Godiva would be jealous of. The only celebrity that a weave couldn’t help was Britney Spears after she shaved off her extremely damaged hair from years of abuse from harsh dye jobs and, yes, even hair extensions. Even without the horror of haunted human hair exten...

In their 2003 article “Status and gender differences in diet at Mound 72, Cahokia, revealed by isotopic analysis of bone” by Stanley H. Ambrose, Jane Buikstra, and Harold W. Kruegerc were able to analyze and compile some intriguing findings. The team decided to look at the different types of food that were being consumed by the Natives and to see if the type of food made any sort of impact on their health. We have all heard that ‘You are what you eat’, but I highly doubt many of us take it to heart. Ambrose, Buikstra, and Kruegerc were able to find that gender played a huge role in what you were able to eat in Cahokia. The idea that gender affects food consumption is nothing new to the anthropological community. Nor should it...

Ijime, known as “bullying” in English, is an issue that happens in schools across the world. However, in most societies bullying is discouraged and the perpetrators are punished for victimizing their peers. All the while some of the most intense and hurtful bullying takes place in Japanese schools where teachers, classmates and parents often ignore ijime. Their classmates perceive the victims of ijime as “different” and it is thought that they should be punished for being a certain way (Yoneyama 1999, 168). The victims of ijime may find themselves among the millions of Japanese students that are becoming Futoukou (children who refuse to go to school), a condition that can turn into Hikikomori (self imposed social isolation). But it...

In the first few pages Catherine Yeh’s she paints a picture of the comsopoltain Shanghai infused with cultural influences from the east and the west, The introduction to book is an exceprt from a newspaper reacounting what the famous courtesans wore to the horse races. This commentary could’ve been easily found in the pages of Vogue from the 1890s or even today. The courtesans of Shanghai were the celeberties of their time, inspiring young women to adopt certain fashions such as a certain Canton fashion or heavily panited on eye brows. Having such a popular status as local, sometimes even nation wide, celeberites the courtesans, sometimes with their clients, were photographed, engraved or lithographed during their daily lives. Foll...

The history of North America and North American archaeology is not all sunshine, daises and happy bunnies. It is filled with a tragic and colonial past that was totally unavoidable. Back in the 1840s Manifest Destiny seemed like a grand and great idea and was carried out quite well in America and the world over. Now 160 years later we as a race realize that colonialism and Manifest Destiny were awful, even punishable offenses. Although laws like NAGPRA do serve a purpose they constrict what archaeologists are able to do. Although the case of NAGPRA was introduced in the first few chapters of the text book Seeking Our Past the status of the laws greatly affect the future of Native American archaeology. Two of the best examples of the a...