Scottish Centre for Global History

Cassie Osei discusses doctoral research on social mobility among Black communities in relation to their experience of housing, labour and education. She begins by sharing with us her academic journey before sharing with us an overview of her doctoral research and her experience of conducting that research. Additionally, she discusses education practice within tertiary education.

Allegra Ayida discusses her research on the Warri Kingdom in relation to material culture and imperialism. She also talks about de-centring Europe in her research, oral history and the Benin Bronze debate in the context of museum collections. Link to Allegra's webpage: Home | Allegra Ayida. Books suggested: The Brutish Museums The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution by Dan Hicks

The Whole Picture: The Colonial Story of the Art in Our Museums & Why We Need to Talk About It” (2020) by Alice Procter

Mark Blyth of Brown University talks growing up in Dundee, the role of public anger in the Global Economy, how realistic solutions for climate change and inequality are, and what the two most 'arrogant' disciplines (History and Economics) can learn from one another"

In this interview, Stephen McFarland shares his experiences and reflections on his life in diplomacy. We discuss his experiences in Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Iraq among other places.

Stephen McFarland is a retired ambassador who served in the U.S. Foreign Service for over 37 years, largely in countries engaged in or emerging from conflict. He had 10 posts in Central and South America, and he also served in Iraq, where he led a provincial reconstruction team in a Marine regiment conducting counterinsurgency operations in Al Anbar during the 2007 surge. Later he headed Embassy Kabul’s law enforcement and rule of law efforts in 2012-2013. After retirement, in 2015-17 he led a USAID justice project in Colombia’s conflict zones, accompanying local officials as they returned to areas the guerrillas had dominated; between 2018 and 2021 he was a consultant on Guatemala for Millicom LLC.

The son of Foreign Service officer George McFarland, Stephen grew up in central Texas, Latin America, and the Middle East. He is a graduate of Yale University, the Air War College, and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (Security Studies). He and his wife have four sons. He enjoys playing soccer, hiking, diving, and reading history.

Image: Stephen McFarland with FMLN/ERP leadership and U.S. journalist Phil Bronstein in Perquin, El Salvador, April 1990.

Copyright © Donna De Cesare, 1990. All rights by permission of photographer only; https://moody.utexas.edu/faculty/donna-decesare

Jamie Gemmell discusses his study on the Anglo-Atlantic world during the 17th century. He elaborates on racialisation and coloniality in the early modern Atlantic world, with a focus on the English Empire, Jamaica, Suriname and Ghana (Gold Coast).

Citations: Vincent Brown, Marisa Fuentes, Saidiya Hartman, Katherine McKittrick, Jennifer Morgan, Diana Paton, Christina Sharpe, Stephanie Smallwood, Michel-Rolph Trouillot, and Sylvia Wynter.

Retrospect Journal: https://retrospectjournal.com/race-in-retrospective/.

Lucia Luna Victoria Indacochea discusses her doctoral dissertation and its methodology for investigating the history of the armed conflict in Peru between 1980-2000. She gives an overview of the conflict before elaborating on the social leaders and housing communities she focuses on. Lucia also responds to questions on the use of oral history in her project and the challenges and benefits of studying this modern history.

Ana discusses her research on the interconnected history of the British National Health Service and migration. She details how migration affected the NHS and how political discourse changed around the NHS and migration. She also explains her reasons for conducting this project and connects the research to present attitudes surrounding this topic.

Patricio Simonetto discusses his book “Money Is Not Everything: The Purchase and Sale of Sex in Argentina in the 20th Century”. Patricio discusses what motivated him to study sex work, the implications of his book for broader understandings of twentieth-century Argentine history, and his thoughts on intersectional research. He also outlines the importance and relevance of this history to the present moment in Argentina and Latin America.

Patience Schell, Jacob Blanc and Julie Gibbings share their experiences of teaching Latin American history at universities in Scotland. We discuss the challenges and benefits of teaching in Scotland, how they have attracted students to focus on the region and how they have helped to diversify the academic curriculum by expanding its geographic focus.

Stephen Gethins discusses his book "Nation to Nation: Scotland’s Place in the World" and elaborates on Scotland's international relations and global history. He respond to questions related to how Scotland's history has influenced its international position and global "branding", and how an independent Scotland would interact with the Global South.