New Scholarly Books by History Department Faculty

New scholarly books by History Department faculty

More than a Skeleton

Paul L. Maier’s novel, More than a Skeleton (2003) is gaining world-wide attention in multiple languages. Professor Maier, a specialist in ancient history, is also an author of historical fiction. More than a Skeleton follows the story of archaeologist Dr. Jonathan Weber’s investigation of an unusual mosaic near Nazareth. Jon is astonished by what he finds in the Hebrew inscription, especially when a multi-lingual Israeli appears, attracts large crowds and performs miracles. The book recently appeared in German (Die Wiederkunft, Brockhaus, 2009) and in Danish (Et skelet i Guds skab, Lohse, 2009). http://www.lohse.dk/index.php?action=visvare&varenr=5559 and http://issuu.com/brockhaus/docs/brockhaus_f2009/26

Pursuit of an 'Unparalleled Opportunity':The American YMCA and Prisoner of War Diplomacy among the Central Power Nations during World War I, 1914-1923

During World War I, over six million men became prisoners-of-war, a number that overwhelmed the resources of the belligerent governments that had the responsibility for caring for these men. The American YMCA became aware of their plight and provided welfare relief to war prisoners. Kenneth Steuer examines the role of the YMCA in establishing relief programs for Allied POWs during the First World War in this monograph. In early 1915, the Association negotiated with both Allied and Central Power governments and gained direct access to POW camps. The American YMCA sent relief workers, known as secretaries, to prison camps in Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria to set up welfare organizations that supported educational, entertainment, spiritual, social, and athletic programs. After the United States entered the war in 1917, the World's Alliance of YMCAs replaced American secretaries with Association workers from Scandinavia and Switzerland. With the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, YMCA secretaries helped Allied POWs during the repatriation process and continued to offer services to Russian POWs trapped in Germany as a result of the Russian Civil War. The wartime activities of the YMCA have largely "fallen between the cracks" of history and scant attention has been paid to the role of non-governmental organizations in relief operations during the Great War.
Link to Dr. Steuer's Book

Historical Dictionary of Medieval China

The crucial period of Chinese history, 220-960, falls naturally into contrasting phases. The first phase, also known as that of "early medieval China," is an age of political decentralization. Following the breakup of the Han empire, China was plunged into civil war and fragmentation and stayed divided for nearly four centuries. The second phase started in 589, during the Sui dynasty, when China was once again brought under a single government. Under the Sui, the bureaucracy was revitalized, the military strengthened, and the taxation system reformed. The fall of the Sui in 618 gave way to the even stronger Tang dynasty, which represents an apogee of traditional Chinese civilization. Inheriting all the great institutions developed under the Sui, the Tang made great achievements in poetry, painting, music, and architecture. The An Lushan rebellion, which also took place during Tang rule, brought about far-reaching changes in the socioeconomic, political, and military arenas. What transpired in the second half of the Tang and the ensuing Five Dynasties provided the foundation for the next age of late imperial China.

Synthetic Socialism: Plastics and Dictatorship in the German Democratic Republic

Eli Rubin takes an innovative approach to consumer culture to explore questions of political consensus and consent and the impact of ideology on everyday life in the former East Germany. Synthetic Socialism explores the history of East Germany through the production and use of a deceptively simple material: plastic. Rubin investigates the connections between the communist government, its Bauhaus-influenced designers, its retooled postwar chemical industry, and its general consumer population. He argues that East Germany was neither a totalitarian state nor a niche society but rather a society shaped by the confluence of unique economic and political circumstances interacting with the concerns of ordinary citizens.

Guide to Documentary Sources for Andean Studies, 1530-1900

Guide to Documentary Sources was a project initiated more than a decade ago and involving some 200 Andeanists from around the world. Catherine Julien participated as senior editor along with Kenneth Andrien of the Department of History at Ohio State University. Julien was the author of more than 10 of the short essays on Andean authors and sources, and contributed the format of the short essays, which feature a publication history of the texts by a particular author of importance in the work, which spans the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries.

Edge of Empire: Documents of Michilimackinac, 1671-1716

This collection of documents, by J.A. Brandão , is a unique glimpse into the French fur trade of the Great Lakes region. Few places were as important in the seventeenthcentury European colonial New World as the pays d’en haut. This term means “upper country” and refers to the western Great Lakes (Huron, Michigan, and Superior) and the areas immediately north, south, and west of them. The region was significant because of its large Native American population, because it had an extensive riverine system needed for beaver populations—essential to the fur trade—and because it held the transportation key to westward expansion..

Desde el Oriente. Documentos para la historia del Oriente Boliviano y Santa Cruz la Vieja (1542-1597)

The last publication to result from the Bonn Bolivia project, in which Catherine Julien was a principal researcher before arriving at WMU in 1996, this volume is a collection of documents, transcribed from documentary originals in the Archive of the Indies (Seville), the Biblioteca y Archivo Nacional de Bolivia (Sucre), and the Archivo Departamental de Potosí (Potosí). It traces the Spanish penetration of the interior of South America from the Atlantic side of the continent, which generated a rich documentary record of peoples and landscapes.

History Education 101

Historians and teacher educators nationwide are now engaged in discussions about the importance of history teacher preparation. Interest within the history profession about the teaching of K-12 history has increased significantly during the past two decades, particularly since the controversy over the National Standards for History’s publication. This attention is evident not only in the historical professions’ various publications, but also in the federal government’s multi-million dollar Teaching American History Program and the No Child Left Behind Act. Professional historians are increasingly committed to improving the teaching of history at the K-12 level through many forms of collaboration. History Education 101’s thirteen essays are organized into three sections: context, practice, and new directions, and was coedited by professor Wilson Warren.

Sports in American Hisotry

Sports in American History Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization journeys from the early American past to the present to give students a compelling grasp of the historical evolution of American sporting practices. This text, co-written by Linda Borish , provides students with insights that will allow them to develop new and alternative perspectives, examine sport as a social and cultural phenomenon, generate a better understanding of current sport practices, and consider future developments in sport in American life. This expansive text is the most comprehensive resource on sport history, providing coverage of sport by historical periods—from the indigenous tribes of premodern America, through colonial societies, to the era of sport in the United States today. Unlike previous sport history texts, Sports in American History examines how women, minorities, and ethnic and religious groups have influenced U.S. sporting culture. This gives students a broader knowledge of the complexities of sport, health, and play in the American experience and how historical factors, such as gender, ethnicity, race, and religion, provide a more complete understanding of sports in American history.

Cuzco: Del Mito a la Historia

The thirty-fourth volume in the series of art books published each year by the bank, this book has been named “one of the ten best large-format books” published in Peru in 2007. With four colleagues from Cuzco, Catherine Julien co-authored the text of this book, contributing the last section on the Spanish transformation of the Inca capital. An exceptionally consistent series of photographs by Daniel Giannone brings a strong visual point of view to the work, which also includes five of Julien’s own photographs.