http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/ucsb_journalhist_vol5issue1/rss Recent eScholarship items from Volume 5, Issue 1 (Spring 2025) Fri, 18 Sep 2026 12:36:47 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9m73g8mr From 1350 to 1750, the European understanding of the natural world shifted dramatically, as the period contained the beginnings of global exploration and the ensuing expansion of European control across the world. As the Europeans ventured out of Europe, the map of the world began to expand, not only the places themselves, but the discovery of “previously unknown things,” caused them to question their current understanding of the world. As trade and exploration expanded, so did the new artifacts, plants, and animals discovered, challenging the previously understood knowledge taught by the ancient philosophers. In attempting to understand these changes, early natural philosophers in Europe attempted to decipher and organize this new knowledge, doing so via collections of new specimin. The early European collections of worldly artifacts that expanded during the period of globalization between 1350 and 1750 are illustrative of an overall societal shift in the way that knowledge was... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9m73g8mr Mon, 9 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Schulz, Ela https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9zx6k3kk Between 1783 and 1800, dozens of Continental Army veterans approached the Massachusetts House of Representatives to petition for their wages, which had been paid out to criminals in possession of forged pay orders. The legislature responded to these requests with direct, individual action, as well as with legislation punishing the forgery of payment certificates. These forgeries are situated within the broader context of an epidemic of counterfeiting in the Early Republic and the intricacies of Continental Army payment. However, due to their overlap in both of these fields, forged orders themselves have not been studied. What has also been overlooked is the impact of counterfeiting on its victims, which has largely been ignored in favor of research into the forgers and falsified documents themselves. Examination of the many petitions which were filed by veterans who fell victim to forged orders, as well as the resolutions that the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9zx6k3kk Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Shearer, Joella https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8dw139sk This essay approaches archaeological studies through an historian’s lens, using dietary analysis to explore the degree of homogenisation and integration in Roman Britain. By employing the term “Romanisation” to describe dietary changes towards a palate more similar to that typically enjoyed by army, this essay focuses on the relationship between the army, urban Romano-Britons, and natives by looking at their shared food cultures. Moreover, dietary studies have been underutilised in historical research because of a reluctance to pursue an interdisciplinary approach when undertaking analysis on integration between different groups in society. By using Cool’s classifications of food categories, this paper shows that there was significant overlap between the three social groups regarding food preferences. Additionally, there was an observable diachronic and spatial trend to integration levels. Sites located closer to military sites tended to mirror their culinary preferences with... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8dw139sk Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Gutteridge, Charlie https://escholarship.org/uc/item/81b3k1fs This essay traces the extensive communications networks that facilitated the spread of revolutionary fervour during the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) and its impact on the wider circum-Caribbean region. Beginning with an intriguing pork shortage in Havana, linked to ritualistic support for black insurgents, the essay reveals how these acts signified solidarity with the Haitian uprising. Adopting a Humboldtian framework, it emphasises the role of mobile actors such as sailors, port cities, and mnemonic devices including music and dance in disseminating revolutionary ideas across imperial boundaries. The essay underscores the significance of sailors in spreading news and fostering connections in port cities, including examples of mobile actors such as Olaudah Equiano and Newport Bowers. Additionally, it examines the integration of Haitian musical traditions in the Caribbean and southern US cities, which served as a common language amongst the Africa diasporas, furthering black... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/81b3k1fs Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Hobson, Catriona https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mj799d1 Beginning in 1347, Mamluk Egypt was decimated by the Black Death. This disaster was only the beginning of the second pandemic, which would recur in the region for another five centuries. As cities such as Cairo were witnessing staggering mortality rates, rural communities were being depopulated to the point of unviability, leading to mass migration towards urban centers. This stark change to the status quo proved to be difficult for the Mamluk system of government, weakening the regime up to the Ottoman conquest in 1517. The Black Death and its recurrences ravaged the Egyptian countryside, causing instability in the Mamluk government, which enabled understandings of medicine previously considered taboo. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mj799d1 Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Karczmit, Philip https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6k92q3tb This paper explores group identity formation among three key factions in Bohemia during the early Hussite period from 1414-1420: Catholics, Prague Hussites, and Taborites. Following the execution of Jan Hus at the Council of Constance in 1415, these groups developed distinct narratives about themselves and their opponents through primary source materials. Catholics positioned themselves as the true inheritors of church tradition, portraying Hussites as heretics and agents of Satan. They emphasized their religious authority and sought to expel Hussites from Christian fellowship. Imperial authorities like Sigismund reinforced this narrative by supporting Catholic perspectives. Prague Hussites, analyzed primarily through Laurence of Březová's chronicle, developed a more moderate approach. They appealed to the original apostolic church while simultaneously emphasizing Czech identity against German Catholic opponents. They critiqued Catholic clergy's corruption while maintaining a... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6k92q3tb Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Skoda, Austin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/373706cv Edward Luttwak, author of classic studies of Roman and Byzantine grand strategy, argues that a state’s explicit intentions are nearly worthless in the study of grand strategy. Instead, he argues, scholars must instead glean evidence of strategy from state behavior, assuming that actions speak louder to state intentions than words. Here, I have applied this same approach to Tenochtitlan, rather than Rome or Byzantium, using a primarily Nahuatl source: the Florentine Codex. Together, a behavior-based approach and the Codex’s Nahuatl perspective pierce through the distractions of colonial Spanish observers and their analysis toreveal a clear, rational, cohesive Aztec grand strategy. The Mexica, limited by the scarce resources on the island of Tenochtitlan, took advantage of their central position to become a thriving trade economy, which they protected with close regulation and formidable military might. Using trade as a carrot and a formidable centralized military as a stick, they... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/373706cv Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Gardiner, Matt https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2hj6f4kr The small confines of Soho Village have long been known as a hotbed of sexual licentiousness in the UK. Yet, in the post-World War II era, the neighbourhood's sexual character evolved drastically, going from a space marked by street prostitution to a space typified by neon signs (sex shops, X-rated cinemas, clubs, etc.). While studies have explored this evolution in-depth, this paper adds to the literature by bridging the study of Soho with the broader study of UK “vice laws.” The main view developed in this paper is that post-war Soho was not solely a <em>sexual</em> space but a microcosm of the U_.K._’s socio-legal attitudes concerning sex. In doing so, it emphasizes social attitudes’ impact on geographical space. This essay shows that Soho’s evolution reflects a broader change of socio-legal attitudes that created a strict moral dichotomy between public and private displays of sex. Ultimately, these dichotomous attitudes and subsequent legislation led to two consequences in... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2hj6f4kr Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Schwarz, Noah https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1wv733s8 From 1350 to 1750, the European understanding of the natural world shifted dramatically, as the period contained the beginnings of global exploration and the ensuing expansion of European control across the world. As the Europeans ventured out of Europe, the map of the world began to expand, not only the places themselves, but the discovery of “previously unknown things,” caused them to question their current understanding of the world. As trade and exploration expanded, so did the new artifacts, plants, and animals discovered, challenging the previously understood knowledge taught by the ancient philosophers. In attempting to understand these changes, early natural philosophers in Europe attempted to decipher and organize this new knowledge, doing so via collections of new specimin. The early European collections of worldly artifacts that expanded during the period of globalization between 1350 and 1750 are illustrative of an overall societal shift in the way that knowledge was... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1wv733s8 Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Schulz, Ela https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1nc4t9nd This research paper examines newspaper coverage of abortion in California from 1967 to 1973, a pivotal era marked by significant legislative, judicial, and socio-political transformations. During this period, California experienced a convergence of civil rights activism and countercultural shifts, which influenced perspectives on reproductive rights. The enactment of the Therapeutic Abortion Act of 1967 and landmark court cases like <em>People v. Belous</em> (1969) and <em>Roe v. Wade</em> (1973) catalyzed public discourse on abortion. This study investigates how newspapers framed abortion and explores the influence of legislative changes on media narratives. It also assesses the impact of key court cases on public perception and the extent to which newspaper coverage shaped public opinion, as reflected in letters to the editor and reader responses. Additionally, the portrayal of religious perspectives and the influence of religious groups on abortion coverage are analyzed. By... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1nc4t9nd Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Martinez, Taylee https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1n19h5bb Nineteenth-century Southern Africa was marked by significant political, social, and economic changes, including the expansion of European colonialism, and the rise of powerful African kingdoms and states. European colonial powers such as Britain continued to establish colonies in Southern Africa, which led to the displacement and oppression of many indigenous peoples. The resulting conflicts and frontier wars often involved significant violence and loss of life, but they also contributed to the formation of new identities and political structures in the region. The formation of these identities and structures served to entrench elite southern African women between the competing patriarchies of traditional African society and the colonial empire. This paper serves to analyze the experiences of one such woman, Xhosa Princess Emma Sandile and the way in which she navigated her position therewithin. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1n19h5bb Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Callahan, Ashley https://escholarship.org/uc/item/14n021qj This paper investigates the systemic repression of homosexuality in the Soviet Union, particularly under Stalinist purges and within the GULag system, drawing critical parallels to the practices of Escuela Caribe, a Christian reform school infamous for its ideological "reeducation" of LGBTQIA+ youth. The study explores how these two seemingly disparate institutions—one rooted in Soviet communism and the other in American evangelical Christianity—employed strikingly similar mechanisms to enforce conformity and obliterate individuality under the guise of moral and ideological purity.Through personal narratives, such as Sasha Petrov’s journey from aspiring actor to GULag prisoner and David Wernsman’s forced exile to Escuela Caribe, the research illuminates the shared tactics of repression: forced labor, isolation, psychological manipulation, and brutal physical violence. The Soviet GULag sought to “reforge” deviance into state-approved conformity, just as Escuela Caribe inflicted... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/14n021qj Mon, 19 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Escoto, Rafael