The History Forum

You are invited to the next session of the Department of History and Philosophy's       HISTORY FORUM   on Friday, April 29th at 4:30 pm in the New Bruce St. John Room [located in the Humanities Quadrangle]   Captain Errol Brathwaite   will present a paper entitled:   "The Non-Conformist Churches and their contribution to primary and elementary education in Barbados, 1840-1940: A socio-historical investigation "

CriticalPast.com was formed by a team of archival research, film, and Internet professionals, working together to create one of the largest privately held online archival footage sources in the world. The collection spans thousands of hours of video, millions of still photos, and continues to grow. It is easily searched by professionals and non-professionals. Check out the video that includes Tourist views of Bridgetown Barbados, Coral Island, beach and the sea from the Hackleton's Cliff.  See what life was like in Historic Bridgetown c. 1936. There is also quite a bit of footage from the US military bases that operated in the Caribbean.

For the past two months, the Department of History and Philosophy and the Barbados Museum and Historical Society have been presenting a series of lectures entitled, "A Leg Up or A Hand Out?": Philanthropy in Barbados. The lecture series has bnexploring the history of philanthropy and charity in Barbados, marking the tercentenary of Christopher Codrington's charitable bequest to establish the British Caribbean's first tertiary learning institution, now known as Codrington College. Since then, Barbadians have been lending their financial and voluntary support to educational, medical and cultural institutions that have continued to shape the social landsape of Barbados. For continued updates about the upcoming lecture schedule, see the Event Schedule below. If you missed out on some of the lectures visit UWI's webpage entitled Barbados Museum 2011 Lecture Series to view videos of previous lectures.

Dr. Karl Watson, noted Caribbean Historian and President of the Barbados National Trust, will present "The Sephardic Jews of Barbados and Slavery: Religion, Ethnicity, Sex, Family and Economics" at the 27th Elsa Goveia Memorial Lecture which will be co-hosted by the Department of History and Philosophy and the Nation Publishing Co. Ltd. Based on his recent research and archaeological work at the Nidhe Israel Synagogue and Museum in Bridgetown, Dr. Watson will trace the relationship between the Barbadian Jewish community and African slavery. Dr. Watson and a team of archaeologists recently excavated  the oldest mikvah (ritual bath) in the Western Hemisphere near the Synagogue's 17th century Jewish cemetery. He has also been invoilved in the restoration and interpretation of the 19th century synagogue and museum. The Public Lecture is scheduled on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 7:30pm in LT4, CLICO Centre for Teaching Excellence.

Professor Jerome Handler from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities revisits the archaeological and anthropological work that he did in the 1960s-70s on Newton Plantation Slave Burial Ground, which has been recently commemorated with signage for the Slave Route Project currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism and the Barbados Museum and Historical Society. Newton Plantation is one of the best documented slave plantations in Barbados. Its plantation records and correspondence have yielded a wealth of insight into the lived experiences of enslaved Barbadians in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Slave Burial Ground in Christ Church continues to attract visitors drawn to the spiritual significance of the site, especially during the island's Season of Emancipation and on Emancipation Day which is celebrated on August 1st each year. The archaeological and anthropological research conducted at the site has remained the foundation for our understanding slave...

Who Do You Think You Are - Gwyneth Paltrow - Video - NBC.com In this Friday's (Friday, April 1st) airing of the NBC Series Who Do You Think You Are? The actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovers her Barbadian roots with the help of Prof. Pedro Welch and Dr. Patricia Stafford, a UWI PhD alumnus. This is not the first time that Prof. Welch and Dr. Stafford have helped a celebrity (i.e. British TV chef and personality, Ainsley Harriot) and many others trace their Barbadian roots, as both of them have been quite involved in the development of Barbadian genealogical research. The story reveals the potential of the Barbadian genealogical tourism market which brings in visitors who are eager to trace their family histories back to the island which was central in the development of the British Atlantic World (1600-1960). If you would like to find out more about your own Barbadian connections, the History Forum blog is developing a resource to help you navigate the sources available for Caribbea...

  You are invited to the next session of the Department of History and Philosophy's       HISTORY FORUM   on Friday, March 25th at 4:30 pm in the New Bruce St. John Room [located in the Humanities Quadrangle]   Mr. Lennox Chandler     will present a paper entitled:   "Scientific and Technological Innovations in the  Barbados Sugar Industry, 1880-2000"  

The Black Atlantic Resource: http://www.liv.ac.uk/csis/blackatlantic http://blackatlanticresource.wordpress.com/ Follow us on Twitter : @blackatlantic1 This exciting new resource is a collaborative project between the University of Liverpool and Tate Liverpool originally constructed on the occasion of Tate Liverpool's exhibition "Afro Modern: Journeys through the Black Atlantic". This resource seeks to promote the study of black Atlantic cultures by providing a hub for access to current research, debates and online materials and a space for scholarly exchange. The Black Atlantic Resource provides free access to current research, artworks, chronological and bibliographic information in this area. We are happy to publish posts about new publications in relevant fields of study, as well as book reviews, and information about other online resources. If you would like to contribute your research or take advantage of this opportunity to publicise please contact Wendy A...

You are invited to the next session of the Department of History and Philosophy's       HISTORY FORUM   on Friday, March 11th at 4:30 pm in the New Bruce St. John Room [located in the Humanities Quadrangle]   Ms. Sandra Browne      will present a paper entitled:   "Contributing to the Preservation and Promotion of Barbados Cultural Heritage : Woodwork with Special Reference to the Vendor Tray"   We are currently exploring some new ways to distribute History Forum papers. Please e-mail me if you wish to have this and/ or future papers shared with you. Tara Inniss innisst@yahoo.com or tara.inniss@cavehill.uwi.edu

Book your groups early for this Fun, Easy Early morning walk and discover more of Barbados’ uniqueness. Hunt for treasures and win prizes. Call 246-234-9010 or e-mail : ecoadeventures@caribsurf.com to book your group. Click for direct link . There will be two tours on Saturday April 23, 2011, 6am and 8am. Bring the whole family.

Africa World Documentary Film Festival 2011 Welcome to the third Barbados edition of this Festival of African and African-diaspora documentary film. The Festival is based in St. Louis, Missouri, where it was founded by filmmaker, writer and educator Professor Niyi Coker. As well as the St. Louis and Barbados events, the Festival also runs in Bermuda and Cameroon. All events on the schedule are free of charge; please arrive punctually, as space is limited. See website for full schedule of Events. http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/fhe/SpecialEvents/AfricaWorld.htm

 Anthropologist, Prof. Sidney Greenfield, recently travelled to Barbados to launch the reprint of his 1966 book English Rustics in Black Skin: A Study of Modern Family Forms in a Pre-Industrialized Society at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society on Thursday, March 3, 2011. Re-published by the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, the book provides insight into family formation in a rural Barbadian community based on his PhD research conducted in the 1960s. Prof. Greenfield has since gone on to conduct anthropological research in Brazil. His early research concentrated on Barbadians in Brazil. (Photo above) Here Frederick Alleyne, one of our MPhil Researchers studying the Barbados-Brazil connection, was able to catch up with Prof. Greenfield at his hotel to discuss his own research. Greenfield, Sidney. Black Skin: A Study of Modern Family Forms in a Pre-Industrialized Society. Barbados Museum and Historical Society: Bridgetown, 2011. BDS $25 Available at the BMHS Gift ...

Click on the link below to see and hear the stammering King George VI.  (Or if necessary, copy and paste into your internet browser) The Path é News Reels are excellent sources of video and still clips of historical events from across the British Empire between 1896 and 1976. Among the many clips from the Caribbean, one can find events such as the British intervention and suspension of the constitution of British Guiana in 1953; opening of the Federal Parliament in 1958; women selling ‘monkeys’ in Bridgetown c.1930, and, of course, cricket lovely cricket! The clips can be downloaded and licensed for Power-point presentations, film documentaries, etc. Pathe News Reels and The Real King's Speech Enjoy! * Courtesy of A. Downes

On Saturday, February 26, 2011, Dr. Elaine Rocha, Lecturer in Latin American History, Cave Hill Campus, and MPhil Candidate, Frederick Alleyne presented "'Millie Gone to Brazil': Barbadian Migration to Brazil in the Early 20th Century. Co-hosted by the Department of History and Philosophy and the Embassy of Brazil, the Special History Forum presentation attracted over 100 members of the public to hear about this new area of research in migration history as part of the UWI's Research Week activities. Audience members learned about the challenges Barbadians and other West Indian migrants experienced when they arrived in Brazil to work in the railway industry in the early 20th century. Holding on tightly to their English linguistic heritage, Barbadianos and their descendants were often ostracized and were victims of racism and classism in Brazil's so-called "racial democracy". Settling mostly in Porto Velho, the Barbadiano population established a settlemen...