High School History Recap

"Never stop working for humanity" - Nina Jablonski

American anthropologist, Prof Nina Jablonski, joins us to discuss the evolution of skin colour. We discuss the biological concept of race and the social construct of racism. We differentiate between racial categorization and racial identification. Were the ancients indifferent to race? Did you know that neither Carl Linnaeus nor Charles Darwin placed people in a power hierarchy? Philosophers David Hume and Immanuel Kant had definite racist views. What might have been the reason for this? Racism took on its destructive modern form from the 18th century - the heydays of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. Join us to find out whether it's possible to eliminate racial labels. Find us on twitter @WilliamHPalk, @C_duPlessis and @NinaJablonski1.

2:50 Why do people have different skin colours?
7:40 How did skin colour become a social construct?
16:00 Was Linnaeus responsible for laying the foundation of modern racism?
20:00 People identify with either a superior or inferior mindset
22:30 Racial categorization compared to racial identification
26:00 How did racism become so entrenched in human society? 
30:30 Can we get rid of racial labels?
34:00 Othering does not mean subordination 
37:20 Cooperation as an evolutionary strategy
37:50 How do we change mindsets and attitudes?
39:20 Turning history on its head
40:00 Do the "powerful" need to give up their wealth and power?
44:10 Humanity's special trait of collective learning
45:40 Finding stories of cooperation
47:50 What is the link between Darwinism and Social Darwinism and eugenics?
53:00 Will genetic engineering play a role in shaping racial attitudes?

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William is joined by one of his Grade 11 students, Emma Theron, to discuss the causes of the Mfecane. This is a period of intense transformation amongst the African tribes in southern Africa. The Mfecane is dated to between 1750 and the 1830s and saw the rise of famous kingdoms like that of Shaka's Zulu kingdom. We look at the internal, environmental and external factors that played a role in bringing about the dramatic events of this turbulent time. Join us and find out more about the Madlatule famine, Shaka's amabutho and the beef and slave trade at Delagoa Bay. Emma also reads the discursive essay she wrote on the topic. If you've liked this episode, please let us know at [email protected]. Alternatively, find us on twitter @WilliamHPalk or @C_duPlessis.

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This is Part 2 of an interview William did with Ayanda Nenemba on the Ilibo Village Community YouTube channel. Ayanda's aim to build the South African community through conversation. Ayanda isn't someone who shies away from talking about the hard issues, but she wants to show the magnanimity of the South African nation. We want to extend an invitation to those of you who have something meaningful to add to the South African story. Please find Ayanda on twitter @restored_80. Alternatively visit her YouTube channel at Ilibo Village Community Cast. 

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This is our interview with the team of Bones and Stones. Tim Forssman is an archaeologist at the University of Pretoria and he and his team is on a mission to make archaeology more accessible. They invited us for an episode on their YouTube channel, Bones and Stones. We hope to collaborate with them on an ongoing basis and bring archaeology into the high school history classroom. Find Tim on twitter @Tim4sman. 

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In this episode we explore the history of Tanzania with East African historian, Dr Derek R Peterson of the University of Michigan. We start by looking at the early history of this East African state: from the ancient Swahili to the creation of the East African slave trade. We also compare the legacies of German and British colonization (including a discussion of the Maji Maji Rebellion). We also trace the development of the Tanganyika African National Union (or TANU). Ultimately, we consider the socialist policy (called Ujamaa) of Tanzania's first (and long-reigning) president, Julius Nyerere. What should we make of Nyerere's impact on Tanzania's development? Nyerere clearly has a contested legacy. Join our conversation to find out why.

Find Dr Derek Peterson on twitter @Unseen_Archive. 

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In this second episode with archaeologist Dr Tim Forssman of the University of Pretoria, we take a closer look at his excavations at Little Muck and Dzombo and how the findings are shedding new light on the social relations between the San hunter-gatherers and early farmers of southern Africa. William finds out more about the "Kalahari debate" and the significance of Mapungubwe as an archaeological site. We also try our hand at the motto on South Africa's coat of arms. It is written in the Khoisan language of the /Xam people and is written as !ke e: /xarra //ke. Visit Tim's YouTube channel Bones&Stones. Follow us on twitter at @WilliamHPalk, C_duPlessis and @Tim4sman.

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In this episode of HSHR, Dr Nisa Paleker from The Department of Historical and Heritage Studies at the University of Pretoria, talks to us about the value of film in the study of History. Dr Paleker sheds some light on how film can be used in historical study by focusing on  film as a source of history, film as history and film in history.

Our discussion mostly centres on film as a representation of the social structures of the time, mostly focusing on the South African context. Topics explored range from African cinema and the B-scheme film subsidies of the 1970s all the way to fourth wave feminism within the film industry. We really did take quite a walk in this one, showing just how widespread and entrenched film is within society, and how necessary the study of film is within history. 

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In this episode of HSHR, Colin speaks to  American military historian and Chair of War Studies at the US Army War College, Michael Neiberg. Michael specialises in 20th-century military history and has written numerous award-winning books including the  acclaimed 2018 The Treaty of Versailles: A Concise History. So it seemed only appropriate that the topic for discussion would be the post-World War I negotiations. The episode delves into the challenges faced by especially the European powers following the carnage and destruction of World War I, and how the leaders involved attempted to deal with the issues. 

The majority of the discussion centres on the most prominent and well-known of the treaties signed in Paris in 1919 - The Treaty of Versailles signed by Germany. What exactly was the Treaty of Versailles? Was it as harsh as our textbooks claim? Was it responsible for the rise of the Nazis? Michael helps us to answer these questions and more.

If you liked this episode or if you have any questions, please fell free to reach out to either Colin (@c_duplessis) or Michael (@michaelneiberg) on Twitter. 

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In this episode, William talks to archaeologist Dr Tim Forssman about the early history of southern Africa. Tim is a senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria and hosts his own YouTube channel Bones and Stones.  Tim helps us define archaeology and explains why Indiana Jones is probably not the best example of what it means to be an archaeologist. We discuss the earliest inhabitants of southern Africa, namely the San hunter-gatherers, and what the archaeological record has to say about them. Why did the San not take up farming? We also take a look at the earliest archaeological evidence for the emergence of farming in southern Africa. Find out why Mapungubwe is such a significant archaeological site in southern Africa.

You can get hold of Tim on twitter @Tim4sman. Please reach out to us on Twitter @WilliamHPalk or @C_duPlessis. 

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In this episode Colin speaks to foreign relations expert and author of Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala, about the CIA-backed overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz , the democratically elected leader of Guatemala. Was this episode merely a Cold War incident or was there more to it than fears of communist insurrection? Was this a spontaneous revolt by frustrated Guatemalans, in which the US simply supported the will of free peoples,  or was there a more sinister plot unfolding? The discussion centers on the involvement of American government agents, especially the CIA and those with ties to the United Fruit Company, in deposing Arbenz and installing a US-friendly leader in Castillo Armas. 

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