"Thinking Canada" - EU-Canada Study Tour and Internship Programme 2011
"Thinking Canada" is an initiative of the European Network for Canadian Studies - a four-week study tour to Canada for European students that will take place from 4 September to 2 October 2011, followed for selected participants by two-month internships. The tour to Canada commences with three days of briefings in Brussels on the EU and EU-Canada relations.The aim of the study tour is to offer its participants a unique in-depth experience of Canada through an intensive programme of visits to major private and public institutions, government bodies, think tanks and NGOs. At each place, the students will receive briefings and have the opportunity to exchange views with representatives of these bodies, many of them leading experts in their fields. The tour will begin in Brussels, and travel to Ottawa, Québec, Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria.
This immersion in Canada will offer a unique opportunity for an academic experience in a non-academic setting. The tour is focused on a number of themes, in particular cultural diversity (including the English/French relationship, the First Nations and multiculturalism), political issues (federalism, regionalism, the role of government), the environment (including Arctic issues), urban issues and economic topics (business, finance, trade). EU-Canada relations will also be covered and provide a recurring backdrop to the discussions. Two European academic advisors will be accompanying the tour to serve as resource persons and provide feedback.
In addition to the tour, eight two-month internships will be offered to participants immediately following the end of the tour.
For further information on the tour, its programme, internships, cost and how to apply, see the tour's website.
Deadline for applications: Wednesday 18 May 2011
Where is Here Now? Canadian Literary Study in the 21st Century
The British Association for Canadian Studies Literature Group is pleased to announce that we will be hosting a symposium on 12th September 2011 at the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British library. This one-day symposium will provide an opportunity for emerging and established scholars to situate developments and innovations in current Canadian literary studies in the UK and beyond.
We see this symposium as a chance to re-evaluate dominant modes of Canadian literary canon making and map out new ways of understanding Canadian literature's place and influence in and beyond Canada at the beginning of the new millennium. To this end, we invite papers aiming to look forward, focusing on emerging writers, as well as those offering fresh approaches to established writers and forgotten or marginalised writers who are due renewed critical attention. To help us with these productive re-evaluations we have invited two eminent, influential and innovative scholars and BACS members to give a joint plenary and lead the first discussion: Dr. Danielle Fuller (University of Birmingham) and Dr. Faye Hammill (Strathclyde University).
We suggest the following topics of interest, although contributors should not feel limited to these areas:
•Canada on the global stage
•Canada since 9/11
•Canadian literature and culture in the cyberage
•Canadian engagement with new literary genres
•Cosmopolitanism
•Re-assessing ideas of the postnational and/or transnational
•Multiculturalism and diversity
•Indigeneity and/or the absence of decolonization
•Canadian literary prize culture
•Rethinking the 'lit' in CanLit
•Changing materialities
•Interdisciplinary approaches to Canadian literature
•Comparative frameworks: postcolonial and/or hemispheric paradigms
•The institutional positioning of Canadian literature in the UK: Is it an 'Area Studies' subject? Should it be taught under World literatures or general contemporary literature?
We invite paper proposals for 5-10-minute position papers. All panellists will be required to submit a 2000 to 3000-word version of their paper, which will be posted for all delegates to read in advance on the BACS literature group webpage. Proposals of 300 words and brief biographical notes should be emailed to Catherine Bates, Fiona Tolan and Gillian Roberts.
CONFERENCE ON WAR OF 1812 - SENATE HOUSE, LONDON, 13-14 JULY 2012
A major conference marking the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 is being arranged in London on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 July 2012. This will be the annual conference of the History and Politics Group of the British Association for Canadian Studies. Over 20 papers on the War of 1812 have already been received and one of the plenary speakers will be Professor Donald Hickey, who has written one of the main books on the subject. Further papers are invited, especially on the significance of the War of 1812 in Anglo-Canadian-American relations since then. If you are interested in attending or submitting a paper or would like more details about the conference please contact Tony McCulloch. Paper proposals (one or two paragraphs) plus a short bio should be submitted by 1 July 2011.
Canada's Special Relationships - SENATE HOUSE, LONDON, 15 JULY 2011
The 2011 Canadian Studies conference will be held on Friday 15 July and will be on the theme of "Canada's Special Relationships". If you would like to attend or submit a paper please contact Tony McCulloch. It is hoped that some funding for travel from Dundee and accommodation in London will be available for presenters and chairs.
It is intended that a selection of the papers will be published in a special issue of the International Journal. Possible topics include Canada's relationships - now or in the past - with Britain, the USA, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, NATO, the UN, the EU, the G8/G20, the Arctic, etc.***Extended Deadline: 5th May, 2011***
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Bank Holiday Opening Hours
A reminder of our Bank Holiday opening hours:
Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th April 2011: Normal term-time opening hours 09.00-21.00
Friday 29 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Saturday 30 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Sunday 1 May 2011: CLOSED
Monday 2 May 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Normal hours resume on Tuesday 3 May. Please note that last entrance to the Library is 15 minutes before the advertised closing time, and closing down (of copiers, etc) starts from this time.
Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th April 2011: Normal term-time opening hours 09.00-21.00
Friday 29 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Saturday 30 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Sunday 1 May 2011: CLOSED
Monday 2 May 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Normal hours resume on Tuesday 3 May. Please note that last entrance to the Library is 15 minutes before the advertised closing time, and closing down (of copiers, etc) starts from this time.
United Nations report on Sri Lanka
The recent Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka has been made public and released on the UN website.
The panel was set up to advise Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on accountability issues relating to the final stages of the conflict, which ended in May 2009 when Government forces declared victory over the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The panel found credible allegations of serious violations committed by the Government, including killing of civilians through widespread shelling and the denial of humanitarian assistance and credible allegations regarding the LTTE concerning numerous serious violations, including using civilians as a human buffer and killing civilians attempting to flee LTTE control.
The Sri Lanka conflict was fought over three decades and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies contains a wide range of material on the conflict and peacebuilding in Sri Lanka. Collections include primary material published by both the Sri Lanka Government and LTTE, as well as publications on topics including the conflict, peacebuilding, resettlement, development, displacement, ethnicity and human rights.
Recently acquired books also include works on recovery from the tsunami of 2004.
The panel was set up to advise Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on accountability issues relating to the final stages of the conflict, which ended in May 2009 when Government forces declared victory over the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The panel found credible allegations of serious violations committed by the Government, including killing of civilians through widespread shelling and the denial of humanitarian assistance and credible allegations regarding the LTTE concerning numerous serious violations, including using civilians as a human buffer and killing civilians attempting to flee LTTE control.
The Sri Lanka conflict was fought over three decades and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies contains a wide range of material on the conflict and peacebuilding in Sri Lanka. Collections include primary material published by both the Sri Lanka Government and LTTE, as well as publications on topics including the conflict, peacebuilding, resettlement, development, displacement, ethnicity and human rights.
Recently acquired books also include works on recovery from the tsunami of 2004.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
African Economic Research Consortium website
A useful resource for those looking at the economics of, or policy within Africa is the website of the African Economic Research Consortium http://www.aercafrica.org/home/index.aspThe African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) was established in 1988 and is a public non-profit organization devoted to the advancement of economic policy research and training. AERC's principal objective is to strengthen local capacity for conducting independent, rigorous inquiry into problems pertinent to the management of economies in sub-Saharan Africa. It seeks to enhance and network African research.
Key topics covered on the website are:
The website provides links to key researchers and research groups based in Sub-Saharan African institutions. It is also possible to search and download examples of working papers from the website.
Key topics covered on the website are:
- Poverty, Income Distribution and Labour Market Issues
- Trade, Regional Integration and Sectoral Policies
- Macroeconomic Policies, Stabilization and Growth
- Finance, Resource Mobilization and Investment
The website provides links to key researchers and research groups based in Sub-Saharan African institutions. It is also possible to search and download examples of working papers from the website.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
South Africa's Drum magazine turns 60 this month!
Drum was first published in Cape Town in March 1951 under the title African Drum moving in September 1951 to Johannesburg under a new publisher, Jim Bailey. Drum flourished, eventually achieving a circulation of 400,000 copies distributed not only in South Africa but also in Ghana, Nigeria and East Africa.
Anthony Sampson who was editor of Drum in Johannesburg in the 1950s, later writing a memoir of this time entitled Drum: an African adventure and afterwards says of the importance of Jahannesburg, , “Of all South Africa's cities, Johannesburg was the chief magnet. The gold mines below and around the city absorbed thousands of contract workers. They arrived from the rural areas to be kept in batchelor compounds. Then, months later they were sent back to their homes when their contracts expired. This world existed alongside a much more sophisticated black Johannesburg of shebeens, dancehalls, snappy dressers - where life was lived fast, and on the streets. And it was this world which provided much of the creative talent in the magazine Drum.”
Drum walked a fine line in dealing with the subject of apartheid. As confronting apartheid head-on would have led to the publication being - as other publications were to be over the following years, Drum attempted to expose the evils of the racist system without actually condemning official policy.”
While Drum opposed racism and apartheid, some of the key events of the Liberation Struggle were not published. Jim Bailey did not approve the publication of any reports or photographs of the Sharpeville massacre, nor the terrible work and living conditions of migrant workers on the mines.
More information on the history of Drum, is available on the South African History Online website.
The Baileys African History Archive houses the Drum collection and has digitised many of the images from the South African Drum and its sister magazines across Africa. Images can be searched, viewed and purchased from this site.
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies holds Dorothy Woodson's Drum : an index to "Africa's leading magazine," 1951-1965 , and copies of Drum are held at both SOAS and the British Library.
(with thanks to the Archival Platform)
Monday, 18 April 2011
RESEARCHING THE COLONIAL ARCHIVE: A TRAINING DAY
RESEARCHING THE COLONIAL ARCHIVE: A TRAINING DAY
Commodities and Culture Leverhulme Network
Victoria and Albert Museum - 27 June 2011, 9.30-5.00pm
With Isabel Hofmeyr (Witwatersrand), Satish Padiyar (Courtauld), Josephine McDonagh (King's), Chris Breward (V&A), Anna Jackson (V&A), Sue Stronge (V&A) and Rosemary Crill (V&A)
This intensive event offers post-graduate and early-career researchers working in eighteenth and nineteenth century subjects training in archival analysis and research methods. Designed around the excellent collections of the V&A this event focuses on textual history, visual culture and the methodological issues collection based research might raise: it also includes collection visits and experience with archival materials. We will consider, amongst other things, 'The Material Histories of Postcolonial Texts', 'Reading the Visual', and 'The Colonial Archive'.
Refreshments and lunch will be provided; there will also be a small amount of preparatory reading required.
Applications to participate in the programme should include:
- a 300 word outline of your research (highlighting its relevance to the Commodities and Culture network research strands)
- a CV
and be sent to Alison Wood at commculture@kcl.ac.uk by 5 May 2011.
A small number of bursaries for travel within the UK are available: if you would like to be considered, please say so in your application.
(N.B. Early Career Researchers should be within 3 years of receiving the PhD.)
http://www.commoditiesandculture.org/events.html
Commodities and Culture Leverhulme Network
Victoria and Albert Museum - 27 June 2011, 9.30-5.00pm
With Isabel Hofmeyr (Witwatersrand), Satish Padiyar (Courtauld), Josephine McDonagh (King's), Chris Breward (V&A), Anna Jackson (V&A), Sue Stronge (V&A) and Rosemary Crill (V&A)
This intensive event offers post-graduate and early-career researchers working in eighteenth and nineteenth century subjects training in archival analysis and research methods. Designed around the excellent collections of the V&A this event focuses on textual history, visual culture and the methodological issues collection based research might raise: it also includes collection visits and experience with archival materials. We will consider, amongst other things, 'The Material Histories of Postcolonial Texts', 'Reading the Visual', and 'The Colonial Archive'.
Refreshments and lunch will be provided; there will also be a small amount of preparatory reading required.
Applications to participate in the programme should include:
- a 300 word outline of your research (highlighting its relevance to the Commodities and Culture network research strands)
- a CV
and be sent to Alison Wood at commculture@kcl.ac.uk by 5 May 2011.
A small number of bursaries for travel within the UK are available: if you would like to be considered, please say so in your application.
(N.B. Early Career Researchers should be within 3 years of receiving the PhD.)
http://www.commoditiesandculture.org/events.html
Friday, 15 April 2011
Sir Keith Hancock
Recently added to our collection is a biography of Sir Keith Hancock, A Three-Cornered Life: The Historian W. K. Hancock, written by Jim Davidson and publsihed by the University of New South Wales Press (ISBN: 9781742231266). The title was recently reviewed in Reviews in History and described as a "magnificent biography".
Keith Hancock is described in this review as a man who "played out his career on a world stage but the world only knows him in bits and pieces." For the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Hancock is especially remembered as our first Director, who did much from 1949 to 1957 to found the Institute which still flourishes today.
The Institute also holds an archive collection of the papers of Sir (William) Keith Hancock, which include material relating to his chairmanship of the Buganda Constitutional Committee, 1954 (including correspondence, in particular with Sir Andrew Cohen, Governor of Uganda, papers from a seminar on constitutional issues in Uganda, background notes, papers of the Buganda Constitutional Committee and Steering Committee, minutes of the Namirembe Conference, papers about the Uganda Development Corporation and the Uganda National Congress, notes of visits to Ankole, Toro, Bunyoro-Kitara and Busoga and press cuttings) as well as correspondence and press cuttings relating to Hancock's books , "British War Economy" and "Problems of Social Policy" (History of the Second World War UK Civil Series Vol 1 & 2), 1949-1950; press cuttings of the Liberal Summer School, Oxford, July 1955; correspondence and other papers collated for his biography of Jan Smuts; and notebooks with details for his autobiography.
Keith Hancock is described in this review as a man who "played out his career on a world stage but the world only knows him in bits and pieces." For the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Hancock is especially remembered as our first Director, who did much from 1949 to 1957 to found the Institute which still flourishes today.
The Institute also holds an archive collection of the papers of Sir (William) Keith Hancock, which include material relating to his chairmanship of the Buganda Constitutional Committee, 1954 (including correspondence, in particular with Sir Andrew Cohen, Governor of Uganda, papers from a seminar on constitutional issues in Uganda, background notes, papers of the Buganda Constitutional Committee and Steering Committee, minutes of the Namirembe Conference, papers about the Uganda Development Corporation and the Uganda National Congress, notes of visits to Ankole, Toro, Bunyoro-Kitara and Busoga and press cuttings) as well as correspondence and press cuttings relating to Hancock's books , "British War Economy" and "Problems of Social Policy" (History of the Second World War UK Civil Series Vol 1 & 2), 1949-1950; press cuttings of the Liberal Summer School, Oxford, July 1955; correspondence and other papers collated for his biography of Jan Smuts; and notebooks with details for his autobiography.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
New Web resource: Africana Age: African & African Diasporan Transformations in the 20th Century.
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library has just published a new website: Africana Age: African & African Diasporan Transformations in the 20th Century.
With 17 essays by various scholars, over 500 images, 8 maps, and 21 videos, Africana Age retraces a turbulent history of challenges, tragedies, and triumphs over the long century.
Essay topics include the Colonisation of Africa, Black Internationalism, W.E.B. Du Bois, Pan-Africanism, African Resistance to Colonial Rule, Marcus Garvey, World War I, Caribbean Social Movements, African Decolonisation, Black Power, Caribbean Independence, the Contemporary Caribbean, and Contemporary Africa.
http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/
With 17 essays by various scholars, over 500 images, 8 maps, and 21 videos, Africana Age retraces a turbulent history of challenges, tragedies, and triumphs over the long century.
Essay topics include the Colonisation of Africa, Black Internationalism, W.E.B. Du Bois, Pan-Africanism, African Resistance to Colonial Rule, Marcus Garvey, World War I, Caribbean Social Movements, African Decolonisation, Black Power, Caribbean Independence, the Contemporary Caribbean, and Contemporary Africa.
http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/
Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation, University of Hull Ph.D Scholarships for 2011
Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation, University of Hull Ph.D Scholarships for 2011
To celebrate recent research successes, the University of Hull has made available 30 UK/EU PhD scholarships and 30 international PhD fees bursaries. Of these, 20 scholarships and bursaries will be available to students from FASS (Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences), which includes the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation.
Applicants from European Union are eligible for a scholarship which includes course fees and a stipend to cover living costs. Students from outside the European Union are eligible for a scholarship which covers course fees. As part of this larger scholarship round, the Wilberforce Institute is particularly keen to encourage applications for scholarships in the following areas:
* Historical Slave Systems and Global Diasporas.
* The Abolition of Slavery and the Transition to Freedom.
* Memories, Legacies and Representations of Slavery and Abolition.
* Modern Slavery, Human Rights and Human Development.
* Wartime Enslavement and Sexual Violence.
The deadline for applications is the 31st of May.
Applications
Formal applications for a scholarship need to be made through the University's Admissions Office, rather than to the Wilberforce Institute directly. Application forms can be obtained from the University Admissions Office or downloaded in Word format from their website.
University of Hull Admissions Office <http://www2.hull.ac.uk/student/admissions.aspx>
The University of Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
Tel +44 (0)1482 466850
Fax +44 (0)1482 442290
Email admissions@hull.ac.uk
In order to apply for a scholarship, you should submit the following information:
1. A Completed Application form:
2. A research proposal (around 1,000-1200 words) which should explain:
a) the area of the project
b) the research questions that will be addressed
c) the approach and methods to be employed
3. A brief statement of how the applicant is qualified (formally and in terms of skills, personal attributes etc.) to carry out the project
4. Two references from individuals who are qualified to comment upon your project and professional career to date.
For further information, please contact Dr Douglas Hamilton at D.Hamilton@hull.ac.uk
To celebrate recent research successes, the University of Hull has made available 30 UK/EU PhD scholarships and 30 international PhD fees bursaries. Of these, 20 scholarships and bursaries will be available to students from FASS (Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences), which includes the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation.
Applicants from European Union are eligible for a scholarship which includes course fees and a stipend to cover living costs. Students from outside the European Union are eligible for a scholarship which covers course fees. As part of this larger scholarship round, the Wilberforce Institute is particularly keen to encourage applications for scholarships in the following areas:
* Historical Slave Systems and Global Diasporas.
* The Abolition of Slavery and the Transition to Freedom.
* Memories, Legacies and Representations of Slavery and Abolition.
* Modern Slavery, Human Rights and Human Development.
* Wartime Enslavement and Sexual Violence.
The deadline for applications is the 31st of May.
Applications
Formal applications for a scholarship need to be made through the University's Admissions Office, rather than to the Wilberforce Institute directly. Application forms can be obtained from the University Admissions Office or downloaded in Word format from their website.
University of Hull Admissions Office <http://www2.hull.ac.uk/student/admissions.aspx>
The University of Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
Tel +44 (0)1482 466850
Fax +44 (0)1482 442290
Email admissions@hull.ac.uk
In order to apply for a scholarship, you should submit the following information:
1. A Completed Application form:
2. A research proposal (around 1,000-1200 words) which should explain:
a) the area of the project
b) the research questions that will be addressed
c) the approach and methods to be employed
3. A brief statement of how the applicant is qualified (formally and in terms of skills, personal attributes etc.) to carry out the project
4. Two references from individuals who are qualified to comment upon your project and professional career to date.
For further information, please contact Dr Douglas Hamilton at D.Hamilton@hull.ac.uk
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Easter and Bank Holiday Opening Hours
Thursday 21 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Friday 22 April 2011 The Library will be closed
Saturday 23 April 2011 The Library will be closed
Sunday 24 April 2011 The Library will be closed
Monday 25 April 2011 The Library will be closed
Tuesday 26 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Friday 29 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Saturday 30 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Monday 2 May 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Friday 22 April 2011 The Library will be closed
Saturday 23 April 2011 The Library will be closed
Sunday 24 April 2011 The Library will be closed
Monday 25 April 2011 The Library will be closed
Tuesday 26 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Friday 29 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Saturday 30 April 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Monday 2 May 2011 The Library will operate Saturday opening hours 09.45 - 17.30
Friday, 8 April 2011
Canadian election results map
Today's post highlighting something on the 2008 Canadian elections, of interest as the nation goes to the polls again, from the always interesting Map Room blog:
La Presse, a Montreal newspaper, has put poll-by-poll election results from the 2008 Canadian federal election onto a Google Maps interface. (Kudos to them for doing it for the entire country, and in English as well — not something I’d necessarily expect from a Quebec media source.) Being able to get that much detail about the last election is extremely useful in the context of figuring on what’s going on in the current one. More about this at Fagstein. Via Maclean’s.
2008 Canadian Election Results first appeared on The Map Room: A Weblog About Maps on April 7, 2011. Copyright © 2011 Jonathan Crowe. Distributed under a Creative Commons licence.
La Presse, a Montreal newspaper, has put poll-by-poll election results from the 2008 Canadian federal election onto a Google Maps interface. (Kudos to them for doing it for the entire country, and in English as well — not something I’d necessarily expect from a Quebec media source.) Being able to get that much detail about the last election is extremely useful in the context of figuring on what’s going on in the current one. More about this at Fagstein. Via Maclean’s.
2008 Canadian Election Results first appeared on The Map Room: A Weblog About Maps on April 7, 2011. Copyright © 2011 Jonathan Crowe. Distributed under a Creative Commons licence.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Endangered Archives Programme updates
Two new additions to the Endangered Archives Programme are noted relevant to "Commonwealth Studies" and described in the British Library's Endangered Archives blog. The comments below are largely taken from this blog and the Endangered Archives Programme website.
The first is a pilot project which will investigate the possibility of rescuing endangered archival materials within the Public Records and Archives Administration's (PRAAD) regional branch in Tamale, Northern Ghana. This project will conduct a survey of the endangered archival materials which are threatened due to inadequate facilities for conservation, overuse and deterioration from humidity and other hazards of the tropical climate. Some of the documents most urgently in need of preservation will be digitised, in order to preserve their content and also as a mechanism for training the Archive's staff.
Many of the documents date back to the pre-colonial and colonial periods of Ghanaian history. They are important not only in terms of preserving the history and culture of northern Ghana but also for their potential impact on historical scholarship, legal matters and public policy.
Located 400 miles north of the Atlantic coast in West Africa, Tamale was founded in early 1907 by the British as an administrative centre for the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast. British Direct Commissioners were stationed there, reporting to the governor in Accra on colonial and administrative matters. PRAAD's holdings in Tamale now include these reports, recording colonial disputes, administrative tasks, boundary discussions, court proceedings, land tenure and chieftancy affairs, as well as correspondence with the missionary church in the Northern Territories. The archives also contain historical manuscripts on diverse subjects including slavery and the history and culture of northern Ghana. The extent of the archives is quite large, containing over 30,000 boxes and approximately 2,100,000 individual records.
The second project, entitled, "Before the war, after the war: preserving history in Sierra Leone" aims to relocate, survey and list the endangered collections of the Sierra Leone Archives, and to digitise a selection of the Liberated African Letter Books. These registers record slave ships captured by navy patrols, and list those men, women and children released at the Vice-Admiralty Court at Freetown.The collections also include treaties between local chiefs and the new settlement from 1788 to the 20th century, documents on land disputes; legislative council minutes; Aborigines Department letter books; birth and death records for the colony; and the 1790s journal of John Clarkson, brother of abolitionist Thomas Clarkson.
The rationale for this project arises both from the importance of the Sierra Leone archives to the study of trans-Atlantic slavery, and the terrible conditions of surviving documents following the Sierra Leone civil war. The intention is to put into place a plan to digitise the Sierra Leone archives as part of a wider plan to assist Sierra Leone in the recovery and preservation of documents and materials both in Sierra Leone and abroad, that relate to the history of the country and the African diaspora origins of its population.
Both projects offer exciting opportunities for records not only to be preserved but also allowing these documents to be made use of. The Endangered Archives Programme continues to accept applications and should be consulted by anyone keen to ensure documentary records are not allowed to be lost due to physical deterioration.
The first is a pilot project which will investigate the possibility of rescuing endangered archival materials within the Public Records and Archives Administration's (PRAAD) regional branch in Tamale, Northern Ghana. This project will conduct a survey of the endangered archival materials which are threatened due to inadequate facilities for conservation, overuse and deterioration from humidity and other hazards of the tropical climate. Some of the documents most urgently in need of preservation will be digitised, in order to preserve their content and also as a mechanism for training the Archive's staff.
Many of the documents date back to the pre-colonial and colonial periods of Ghanaian history. They are important not only in terms of preserving the history and culture of northern Ghana but also for their potential impact on historical scholarship, legal matters and public policy.
Located 400 miles north of the Atlantic coast in West Africa, Tamale was founded in early 1907 by the British as an administrative centre for the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast. British Direct Commissioners were stationed there, reporting to the governor in Accra on colonial and administrative matters. PRAAD's holdings in Tamale now include these reports, recording colonial disputes, administrative tasks, boundary discussions, court proceedings, land tenure and chieftancy affairs, as well as correspondence with the missionary church in the Northern Territories. The archives also contain historical manuscripts on diverse subjects including slavery and the history and culture of northern Ghana. The extent of the archives is quite large, containing over 30,000 boxes and approximately 2,100,000 individual records.
The second project, entitled, "Before the war, after the war: preserving history in Sierra Leone" aims to relocate, survey and list the endangered collections of the Sierra Leone Archives, and to digitise a selection of the Liberated African Letter Books. These registers record slave ships captured by navy patrols, and list those men, women and children released at the Vice-Admiralty Court at Freetown.The collections also include treaties between local chiefs and the new settlement from 1788 to the 20th century, documents on land disputes; legislative council minutes; Aborigines Department letter books; birth and death records for the colony; and the 1790s journal of John Clarkson, brother of abolitionist Thomas Clarkson.
The rationale for this project arises both from the importance of the Sierra Leone archives to the study of trans-Atlantic slavery, and the terrible conditions of surviving documents following the Sierra Leone civil war. The intention is to put into place a plan to digitise the Sierra Leone archives as part of a wider plan to assist Sierra Leone in the recovery and preservation of documents and materials both in Sierra Leone and abroad, that relate to the history of the country and the African diaspora origins of its population.
Both projects offer exciting opportunities for records not only to be preserved but also allowing these documents to be made use of. The Endangered Archives Programme continues to accept applications and should be consulted by anyone keen to ensure documentary records are not allowed to be lost due to physical deterioration.
Education in Zimbabwe
The Britain Zimbabwe Society/Oxford African Studies Centre annual Research Day this year is on the topic of Education in Zimbabwe.
It will be held at St Antony's College, Oxford on 18th June 2011.
The Research Day is an annual event that focuses on academic research, but includes other practitioners to provide a wider context for the academic papers. It gives priority to researchers from Zimbabwe and to doctoral students in need of a supportive, informed environment in which to introduce their work. Academics and non-academics are equally welcome. There is a long lunch-hour to allow plenty of time for networking, and the day will be preceded this year by a book launch on the Friday evening.
The panels will cover:
- education in schools;
- the historical and contemporary role of universities;
- global links in the provision and accreditation of education and skills training; and
- the growing role of the military in providing education and training.
Invited speakers include Dr Teresa Barnes, Assoc Professor History Dept, UIUC; Dr Gerald Mazarire, Head of History at University of Zimbawe; Dr Elaosi Vhurumuku, lecturer in Science and Science Teaching at Wits University; and Mrs Nomathemba Neseni-Nyoni, Executive Director of the Institute of Water and Sanitation, ZW.
Further information at http://www.britain-zimbabwe.org.uk/
It will be held at St Antony's College, Oxford on 18th June 2011.
The Research Day is an annual event that focuses on academic research, but includes other practitioners to provide a wider context for the academic papers. It gives priority to researchers from Zimbabwe and to doctoral students in need of a supportive, informed environment in which to introduce their work. Academics and non-academics are equally welcome. There is a long lunch-hour to allow plenty of time for networking, and the day will be preceded this year by a book launch on the Friday evening.
The panels will cover:
- education in schools;
- the historical and contemporary role of universities;
- global links in the provision and accreditation of education and skills training; and
- the growing role of the military in providing education and training.
Invited speakers include Dr Teresa Barnes, Assoc Professor History Dept, UIUC; Dr Gerald Mazarire, Head of History at University of Zimbawe; Dr Elaosi Vhurumuku, lecturer in Science and Science Teaching at Wits University; and Mrs Nomathemba Neseni-Nyoni, Executive Director of the Institute of Water and Sanitation, ZW.
Further information at http://www.britain-zimbabwe.org.uk/
Australian Newspapers
Now available on Trove is an increasing collection of digitised Australian newspapers. The Newspapers collections have been digitised as part of the ongoing Australian Newspapers Digitisation Program (ANDP).
The project aims initially to digitise four million pages, and currently has nearly two million pages available, with the remainder awaiting digitisation or adding of metadata to allow searching.
In this collaborative project titles and issues have been selected by State and Territory libraries, and have a focus on state titles, and material published prior to 1955 (for copyright reasons). Some material has been included after this date (including the Australian Women's Weekly) where copyright permission has been granted.
There are hopes that work on this resource will continue after the four year project is completed and the initial four million pages added. The resource is a valuable source for historians, and included advertisements and other material making it a rich source for studying social history.
The project aims initially to digitise four million pages, and currently has nearly two million pages available, with the remainder awaiting digitisation or adding of metadata to allow searching.
In this collaborative project titles and issues have been selected by State and Territory libraries, and have a focus on state titles, and material published prior to 1955 (for copyright reasons). Some material has been included after this date (including the Australian Women's Weekly) where copyright permission has been granted.
There are hopes that work on this resource will continue after the four year project is completed and the initial four million pages added. The resource is a valuable source for historians, and included advertisements and other material making it a rich source for studying social history.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Nigerian Political Pamphlets
With news of the delay in the Nigerian elections it seems timely to promote the Political Pamphlets collections again.
The Political Pamphlets collection includes material published by political parties, trade unions and pressure groups; including material such as election campaign material, manifestos rules and regulations etc. As well as pamphlets, leaflets and booklets the collection includes posters, flags, paper hats and stickers and badges.
Material relating to Nigeria currently available on the catalogue dates from 1957 to 1998, and includes materials from parties such as the: Action Group of Nigeria; All Peoples Party; Alliance for Democracy; Dynamic Party; Kano People's Party; Mid-West State Movement; National Party of Nigeria, Nigerian National Alliance; Nigerian National Democratic Party; Nigerian Youth Congress; Northern People's Congress; People's Redemption Party; Progressive Peoples Party; Social Democratic Party; Socialist Workers and Farmers Party of Nigeria; Talakawa Party; Unity Party of Nigeria and the Workers Party of Nigeria.
We're always happy to accept new material for the collection. Please contact the Commonwealth Studies Librarian if you have material relating to elections, political parties or other political campaigns.
The Political Pamphlets collection includes material published by political parties, trade unions and pressure groups; including material such as election campaign material, manifestos rules and regulations etc. As well as pamphlets, leaflets and booklets the collection includes posters, flags, paper hats and stickers and badges.
Material relating to Nigeria currently available on the catalogue dates from 1957 to 1998, and includes materials from parties such as the: Action Group of Nigeria; All Peoples Party; Alliance for Democracy; Dynamic Party; Kano People's Party; Mid-West State Movement; National Party of Nigeria, Nigerian National Alliance; Nigerian National Democratic Party; Nigerian Youth Congress; Northern People's Congress; People's Redemption Party; Progressive Peoples Party; Social Democratic Party; Socialist Workers and Farmers Party of Nigeria; Talakawa Party; Unity Party of Nigeria and the Workers Party of Nigeria.
We're always happy to accept new material for the collection. Please contact the Commonwealth Studies Librarian if you have material relating to elections, political parties or other political campaigns.
Friday, 1 April 2011
ACU Titular Fellowships – 2011
Blog readers may be interested in, or interested in further promoting the following ACU (Association of Commonwealth Universities) Titular Fellowships for 2011.
The ACU Titular Fellowships provide opportunities for staff from member universities and employees working in industry, commerce or public service in a Commonwealth country to spend periods of time in other member universities or relevant institutions outside their own country. Preference will be given to workers in the following priority subject areas: agriculture, forestry and food sciences, biotechnology, development strategies, earth and marine sciences, engineering, health and related social sciences, information technology, management for change, professional education and training, social and cultural development and university development and management.
A summary of the awards is as follows:
• University of Wales Swansea Fulton Fellowship
Is tenable at the University of Wales Swansea. Awarded for any of the priority subjects listed above.
Country of Tenure: United Kingdom
• The Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Fellowship
at least one Fellowship open either to professionally qualified accountants or to established members of university faculties or related fields. Tenable at a Commonwealth university which either provides courses approved by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, or provides courses in, or closely allied to, business education. Section A of the nomination form may be completed either by the head of the candidate’s firm/company, or by the Executive Head of the proposed host university.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• Wighton Titular Fellowship in Engineering
Is open to full-time staff, academic or technical, of engineering departments in any of the developing country universities in membership of the ACU. Intended especially for the enhancement of laboratory teaching capacity.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The University of Manitoba Fellowship
tenable at the University of Manitoba. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: Canada
• The George Weston Limited, Canada, Fellowship
in agriculture, forestry, and food science/ food technology
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The University of Oxford Fellowship
Is tenable at the University of Oxford. Awarded in any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: United Kingdom
• The Jacky McAleer Memorial Fellowship
in memory of Jacky McAleer, a former member of staff of the ACU, and in recognition of her long and outstanding service to the ACU. Awarded in the field of information technology, with priority given to the computerisation of record systems or computer-assisted learning.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The Gordon and Jean Southam Fellowship
Is open to nominees of any of the Canadian universities in membership of the ACU. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
Applications will be considered ONLY if the applicant is approved by the Executive Head (Vice-Chancellor, President or Rector) of a university in ACU membership. The ACU will also consider applications approved by the chief executive officer of a Commonwealth inter-university organisation.. Fellowships will be tenable for up to a maximum of six months.
The closing date for applications is 1st July 2011.
For further information and details of how to apply, please visit the webpage at http://www.acu.ac.uk/member_services/fellowships_mobility/acu_titular_fellowships or email acuawards@acu.ac.uk
The ACU Titular Fellowships provide opportunities for staff from member universities and employees working in industry, commerce or public service in a Commonwealth country to spend periods of time in other member universities or relevant institutions outside their own country. Preference will be given to workers in the following priority subject areas: agriculture, forestry and food sciences, biotechnology, development strategies, earth and marine sciences, engineering, health and related social sciences, information technology, management for change, professional education and training, social and cultural development and university development and management.
A summary of the awards is as follows:
• University of Wales Swansea Fulton Fellowship
Is tenable at the University of Wales Swansea. Awarded for any of the priority subjects listed above.
Country of Tenure: United Kingdom
• The Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Fellowship
at least one Fellowship open either to professionally qualified accountants or to established members of university faculties or related fields. Tenable at a Commonwealth university which either provides courses approved by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, or provides courses in, or closely allied to, business education. Section A of the nomination form may be completed either by the head of the candidate’s firm/company, or by the Executive Head of the proposed host university.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• Wighton Titular Fellowship in Engineering
Is open to full-time staff, academic or technical, of engineering departments in any of the developing country universities in membership of the ACU. Intended especially for the enhancement of laboratory teaching capacity.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The University of Manitoba Fellowship
tenable at the University of Manitoba. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: Canada
• The George Weston Limited, Canada, Fellowship
in agriculture, forestry, and food science/ food technology
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The University of Oxford Fellowship
Is tenable at the University of Oxford. Awarded in any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: United Kingdom
• The Jacky McAleer Memorial Fellowship
in memory of Jacky McAleer, a former member of staff of the ACU, and in recognition of her long and outstanding service to the ACU. Awarded in the field of information technology, with priority given to the computerisation of record systems or computer-assisted learning.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
• The Gordon and Jean Southam Fellowship
Is open to nominees of any of the Canadian universities in membership of the ACU. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.
Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country
Applications will be considered ONLY if the applicant is approved by the Executive Head (Vice-Chancellor, President or Rector) of a university in ACU membership. The ACU will also consider applications approved by the chief executive officer of a Commonwealth inter-university organisation.. Fellowships will be tenable for up to a maximum of six months.
The closing date for applications is 1st July 2011.
For further information and details of how to apply, please visit the webpage at http://www.acu.ac.uk/member_services/fellowships_mobility/acu_titular_fellowships or email acuawards@acu.ac.uk
ULRLS changes its name
From 31 March 2011, Senate House Library and the eight Libraries of the Institutes of the School of Advanced Study, including the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library, will operate under the collective title of Senate House Libraries (SHLs).
The individual titles and names of the Institute Libraries are retained but the previous umbrella operating name, University of London Research Library Services or ULRLS, is replaced.
The individual titles and names of the Institute Libraries are retained but the previous umbrella operating name, University of London Research Library Services or ULRLS, is replaced.
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