Yolanda Gutiérrez concept of decolonizing the colonial historical sites by bringing body, history, memory and sound arise an awareness of looking at the past through a more organically way, by walking, by witnessing the dance interventions, while listening to the audio-tracks related to this part of history, suddenly, even It’s an immersive type of walk, kind of isolate, because of the headphones, the connection to the city and society around becomes part of the experience and the feeling of togetherness follows.

Diana Taylor is a Mexican-born, distinguished university professor of Performance Studies and Spanish at New York University. Which you will hear from the voice of Zainab X. The main narrators voice of this project is William Holley. And the audio artist is Cornelia Böhm. Voices of the participant dancers are also included: David Valencia and Jana Baldovino.

The global dis:connect podcast is hosted by the Käte Hamburger Research Centre global dis:connect at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Episode idea and research: Yolanda Gutiérrez

In 2001, the Australian government published the “Lost Innocents” report about the British child migration schemes to Australia. Recognising the long-term effects of the schemes on those involved, the report stated: “Loss of identity, a sense of belonging and the loneliness of being far from home affected all child migrants.” Between 1869 and 1970, 150,000 children were sent to the British settler colonies – mostly to Canada and Australia – by charitable welfare organisations.

This episode takes a closer look at the identities of these child migrants and their sense of belonging. We will take a long-term view, asking what changed from the late 19th century to the late 20th century, and how the decolonization affected child migrants.

Given the scarcity of child-produced sources, it is difficult for historians to study children’s perspectives. This episode shows how studying children’s voices in their letters, speech, songs and behaviours helps historians to complicate the picture painted in the sources produced by child migration agencies. While these agencies argued that the children only moved places within the British Empire and would quickly adapt to their new surroundings, listening to the voices of the young migrants shows that migration was an ambivalent experience, connecting and disconnecting at the same time.

The global dis:connect podcast is hosted by the Käte Hamburger Research Centre global dis:connect at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Episode idea and research: Susanne Quitmann

This episode, written by historian Kevin Ostoyich, explores one woman’s struggle with the question of whether a Holocaust survivor can live a fabulous life. As Jackie Beer danced on stages around the world, she did not want people the know she was a Holocaust survivor.

Jackie had been born Zosia Beer in Eastern Europe. Her parents hid Zosia and her sister with different families. Her mother was eventually “murdered in a blood massacre.” Her father survived the Holocaust in body but not mind. Zosia and her sister were reunited with their father but were eventually put into various orphanages in Poland and France, because their father was not psychologically capable of raising the girls. It was in one of the orphanages in France that Jackie was introduced to ballet. In June 1951, at eleven years old, Jackie, her sister, and father immigrated to the United States. Speaking no English, she expressed herself through dance soon after arriving in Denver. People immediately took notice of her talent. She was sent to the American Ballet Theater company in New York and started her long career as a dancer, first in ballet, then in jazz. Dancing took her back to Denver then to Hollywood, Las Vegas, and the world. In 1980 Jackie’s right knee gave out. She had two operations and tried to get back on her dancing feet, but eventually she came to the realization that her dancing career was over. Jackie retired as a dancer at forty and began her career as a talent agent/manager. Over the years, she found her niche managing dancers, illusionists, and even orangutans.

When the COVID pandemic hit, Jackie’s career was put on hold. With extra time to reflect on her past, Jackie decided to seek help from the Holocaust Survivors Group of Southern Nevada. For decades, Jackie has been plagued by thoughts that Holocaust survivors should not dance, and thus has felt somehow her career has not been appropriate for someone with her past. Thus, she has felt disconnected to her past—to the point that she tells people that her life began at age eleven. The friends that Jackie has met in this group have helped her to open up about her past and come to terms with her “fabulous life.”

Jackie Beer appears throughout the episode via excerpts of recordings of various interviews conducted by Kevin Ostoyich. The episode also contains readings of the oral testimony Jackie’s sister Annique Dverin gave in an interview conducted by Brad Zarlin. The citation information for the Annique Dverin interviews is USHMM, Oral history interview with Annique Dveirin, Accession Number: 2019.253.281 | RG Number: RG-90.063.0281. https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn700641.

The global dis:connect podcast is hosted by the Käte Hamburger Research Centre global dis:connect at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Episode idea and research: Kevin Ostoyich

This episode delves into the history of ship’s ballast, extra weight which ships carried whenever they travelled without cargo. Today, ballast had become a metaphor, but until the early 20th century, ballast was a very concrete and crucial resource, millions of tonnes of sand and stones which ships transported around the world. When stowed in their hold, this ballast stabilized ships and was an essential component of global mobility at sea.

Following ballast, we discover a rich social history of workers and sailors in port cities and on ships who produced, loaded, and clandestinely disposed of ballast. Getting ballast into a ship took effort and cost money, yet it was unloaded or even thrown overboard as soon as new cargo could be found. In theory, the key quality of ballast was its commercial worthlessness and for this reason, ships travelling “in ballast” often received preferential treatment. But following the history of this supposedly worthless non-commodity, we find numerous attempts to use substitute various trade goods for ballast, and even attempts to turn ballast into a profitable commodity.

This episode explores ballast as part of the fundamental infrastructure that enabled maritime globalization in the 19th century. The need to carry ballast shaped life both in port and at sea, and various attempts to transform and overcome ballast did not change its fundamental importance. The story of ballast is one about the persistence of seemingly primitive and obsolete technologies during a century of technological change and acceleration. At the same time, both the presence and the absence of ballast could have profound disruptive effects on the global connections it enabled. Ships were delayed in port or did not arrive on time. Dumped ballast obstructed waterways while substitutes and alternatives were not always reliable.

The history of ballast is more than a story of unremarkable piles of sand and rocks, but rather part of the story of how the world was connected at sea.

The global dis:connect podcast is hosted by the Käte Hamburger Research Centre global dis:connect at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Episode idea and research: Paul Blickle

This episode explores the intricate relationship between architecture, ecology, and the changing nature of dwelling in the Indian Himalayas. Based on research conducted by Dr Siddharth Pandey, it first draws listeners’ attention to the common representation of a mountainous scenery in Indian culture, emphasizing its significance in conveying the concept of ecology. The physicality of the mountains, ranging from 400 to 4000 meters above sea level, has played a crucial role in shaping the materiality of human-made dwellings.

This traditional approach reflects a delicate balance between the natural and cultural elements, an equilibrium threatened by modern developments.

The episode critiques the lack of a robust and sustainable vision in post-Independence Indian architecture, particularly in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and acknowledges public protests against destructive development projects. It concludes by discussing the disconnection between contemporary architectural practices and the well-being of the Himalayas. It stresses the importance of understanding the impact of architectural choices on the natural environment and underscores the urgent need for a thoughtful, balanced, and sustainable approach to development in the Himalayan region, considering the delicate balance between human desires and the destiny of the mountains.

The global dis:connect podcast is hosted by the Käte Hamburger Research Centre global dis:connect at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Episode idea and research: Siddharth Pandey

This episode explores how Central Asia's desolate Taklamakan Desert became a focal point in imperial theories of climate stability during the late 19th century. Imperial explorers, including Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin, sought out the region's “lost cities,” uncovering a complex interplay of environmental change, geopolitical intrigue, and multicultural narratives.

The episode delves into the scientific investigations and debates that linked the “lost cities” of the Silk Roads to broader theories of climate change and desiccation, ultimately shaping uneven attempts by empires to impose global environmental norms. Based on research by Dr Lachlan Fleetwood, it sheds light on the overlooked role of Central Asian guides and brokers in these explorations, emphasizing the multicultural records that fueled imperial imaginations.

By examining the imperial categories rooted in environmental determinism, the episode unravels the past of Eurocentric climate theories, as exemplified by figures like Ellsworth Huntington. The lost cities of the Taklamakan, also help in understanding the historical roots of climate debates with contemporary implications.

As debates on climate-induced migration and global climate crises intensify, this episode urges listeners to critically assess historical understandings of climate and their postcolonial legacies. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing cultural biases and political interests embedded in our historical relationship with the environment, offering insights to reimagine our environmental narratives in the face of the present climate crisis.

Join us as we journey through the sands of time, unraveling the threads of environmental history that continue to shape our perceptions of habitability and climate stability today.

Episode idea and research: Lachlan Fleetwood

In this episode of global dis:connect, we dive into the late 19th century to unravel the complexities of globalization through the lens of telegraphy. The episode begins with a frustrated businessman's attempt to send a telegram from London to Calcutta in 1870, setting the stage for a deep exploration of the history of globalization.

The telegraph, a key technology of the 19th century, played a pivotal role in the surge of globalization. It dematerialized information, challenging traditional communication methods by enabling messages to be transmitted at the speed of thought. However, the journey wasn't without obstacles. The episode explores the challenges of interruptions, detours, and the unpredictability of telegraphic connections.

The episode concludes by emphasizing that telegraphy, often celebrated as a symbol of globalization, also brought disconnecting elements. This historical exploration serves as a mirror to contemporary globalization, where interruptions, delays, and missing connections are inherent. The COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical events, and refugee movements are cited as modern examples of the interconnected yet disrupted nature of globalization.

Like all episodes of the global dis:connect podcast, this episode on global telegraphy challenges listeners to recognize that globalization is a dynamic interplay of connections and disconnections, urging a deeper understanding of its intricate nature.

Episode idea and research: Roland Wenzlhuemer