Afterglow

Back in my little room at the Best Western, all snuggled in, feeling nice thanks to the beer I had for dinner.  Time to think back on the day's events....

I arrived at the CSU Fresno campus a little past eight, just pulling in to the parking lot as friends Tim and Steph were getting out of their car. Tim is my "school husband," which I guess makes Steph my "sister-wife."  I was so glad to have them with me today--while Tim has only presented at one other conference, that's more than I've done. And Steph is the grounding influence and cheerleader--and the perfect mate for Tim.

So, the Fresno folk provided some muffins, etc., for a little warm-up, then it was off to the classrooms that served as breakout sessions.  Both Tim and Troy, another classmate from CSUS, were scheduled to present on different panels but both in the first session.  So, I didn't get to see Troy's presentation.  But I saw Tim's and it was fabulous.  Of course it was.  I've gotten to know lots of talented students during my years at CSUS, but Tim tops them all.  His research is intricate and complex, and he brings such attention to detail to his analysis that it makes me just want to cry for my own.  And, to top it off, he's an excellent writer.  So, its no wonder that the only question asked after the presentations by the four members on his panel was directed to him.  While the three others gave interesting talks, Tim was best in show.

After a short break, it was on to another panel of four presenters, this one composed of all students from Fresno State.  While their presentations were very good, there were some of their professors in the room.  These erstwhile educators took the opportunity after the presentations to make pronouncements, ask questions, and give advice.  Ugh.  Not only was this dull as dirt, but it was lunchtime and those fools were keeping me from the chow line.  And you know that's not going to go over well with me.

Lunch was box sandwiches, which was fine.  The keynote speaker, though, was a little out of my league in terms of his topic. He was talking about the use of digital materials by historians, and how he teaches students about such things.  It wasn't about the technical aspect of utilizing digital resources--it was the theory behind it.  Damn, this guy was long on theory.  Tim and Steph, who had only gotten four hours of sleep last night due to last minute work on Tim's presentation, both looked glassy-eyed, and I'm fairly certain my face wore that look that says "Because I don't understand you, I am annoyed by you."

Oh, dear.  Then came the moment of truth.  With Steph, Tim, and Troy in the audience, I took my place on the panel entitled "The Impact of Media in American Culture."  Like the lunchtime keynote speaker, I was also "going digital" (not to be confused with going commando, which I was NOT doing).  I had not printed out a copy of my speech, using my brand-new iPad instead.  Concerned that I would need possible back up (like wearing both a belt and suspenders), I also had a copy on my phone and in my email.  So I was ready, as ready as I'd ever be.

I began my speech, entitled "Perpetuating the Myth: The Myth of the Lost Cause in the Films of the 1930s."  I haven't seen the video of my presentation yet (yes, there is video evidence thanks to Steph), but I felt like I stumbled a bit over my words in some places.  At one point, my newly acquired iPad determined to bring up the screen keyboard for no damn reason, throwing me off kilter for a few seconds, but I recovered and finished.

I wanted to run into the audience and just sit down and enjoy the fact that it was over.  But that's not how these things works.  I had to sit on the panel and listen to the two other presentations.  The gal that came after me was amazing, analyzing Courtney Love, Liz Phair, and the third-wave feminism in their music and performances. The next guy spoke on the role of the press in the early years of the Vietnam War.  Then it was opened to questions.  At first, nobody said anything.  But the moderator had some questions, and I was so happy when he addressed them to me.  You see, I had to cut so much out of my paper to fit a 15-minute presentation, that there was a lot I didn't get to say.  But when he asked me his questions, then another lady asked a question, and then the keynote speaker from lunchtime asked me a question--I got to spout off so much more knowledge.  Then I felt good.  I was speaking off the cuff on a subject I love, and it just doesn't get better than that.

With that, the conference was over.  A quick change of clothes, and it was off to The Dog House, apparently a Fresno hotspot as it was packed. Several beers and some onion rings, and I needed nothing more for my dinner.

In all, this was a very valuable experience.  The conference was small, it was all grad students, and it was a safe envinronment in which to learn how to do this sort of thing.  I know what to expect now, and I'll be able to apply lessons learned here when I present in Chico next month.

For now, its time for Eric Foner and some M&M's.  I'm sorry to say that I didn't have my date with Foner and his Reconstruction last night.  CONFESSION ALERT:  I watched Titanic instead.

Tomorrow I explore the Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, then its homeward bound.

Nighty-night....

Georgia on my Mind

It has been far too long since I've traveled--really traveled, not like a quick jaunt to LA to visit the father-in-law and lay on the beach.  On Wednesday, I journey to the wilds of....

wait for it....

The Deep South!

Yes, I'm bound for the Land of Dixie, the home of "you-all" and "fiddle-dee-dee," and the world's largest bastion of believers in the Myth of the Lost Cause.

There are several reasons for this trip, all of which are very positive.  First, I've finally got enough money set aside to allow me to make such an excursion.  After struggling just to pay the bills and meet the demands of pursuing both undergrad and graduate degrees, I have finally been able to set a little aside to do what I love so much, which is travel.  Second, my favorite traveling companions are on board, my BFF Yvette and my beautiful daughters, Maddie and Heidi.  And, finally, there is a school component to be considered as a reason to take this trip.  Over the course of the spring 2013 semester, I finally found a niche in history that I want to explore--and I'll be exploring it in Dixie in just a few days.

I have struggled for quite a while to determine what I want my specific field of study to be within the larger framework of the study of history.  Originally, I had my heart set on California history.  Then, the beloved Dr. Pitti retired, and CSUS did not replace him with another California specialist until just recently.  Add to that the fact that I want to do my doctoral program outside of California, and the subject of California history dropped from the list of desirable topics.

So, I floundered.  I tried European history and Medieval history--both are great and would be fascinating to study.  Yet neither of those subjects really grabbed me (I think I've always been an Americanist at heart).  Then I took a class entitled "History and Memory" from the amazing Kirstin Harjes.  This class focused on the intersection between history and memory, both personal and public.  Dr. Harjes assigned David W. Blight's Race and Reunion, a wonderful look at the way in which the causes of emancipation and racial equality following the Civil War were subordinated to a need for sectional reconcilation, allowing white supremacy to forestall any possible political gains that may have been made by the newly freed slaves.  When Blight wrote about the Lost Cause, he sparked for me an interest in that theory, an interest originally developed in a class entitled "Civil War and Reconstruction" taught by Dr. Richard Cooper.  Suddenly, I was off to the races.  Dr. Harjes required a research project on some form of memorial site, and I jumped at the chance to look at the Lost Cause themes at Georgia's Stone Mountain Park. 

While my paper on Stone Mountain turned out well--and helped garner me an A in the class--I have very much wanted to see the site myself.  Hence, when all the stars aligned, the opportunity to go to Atlanta, to see Stone Mountain for myself, proved too great to pass up. 

But wait!  There's more!

My very favorite book of all time also contains themes from the Lost Cause.  And my very favorite novelist of all time wrote said book in a small apartment in Atlanta, Georgia.  At some point in the next week, I'll be standing in the same physical space as the great Margaret Mitchell once stood and where she wrote her epic masterpiece, Gone with the Wind.  After visiting the tomb of Clark Gable last month in Hollywood, this will be the culminating GWTW adventure of my life.

Our trip to Georgia will include not just Atlanta and Stone Mountain but also a little side trip to Savannah before we head back to sunny California.  To say that I'm a bundle of nervous energy right now would be downplaying the situation.  Even though I've got packing to do, more studying for the upcoming GRE test, and a myriad of little details to see to before I leave, I'm so very much ready to go. 

Can't wait!!!  

      

The Myth of the Lost Cause

In my humble opinion, the history of the history of the Civil War is actually more interesting than the history of the Civil War (with all apologies to James MacPherson and those like him who write so beautifully and knowledgeably about the conflict).

The Myth of the Lost Cause, a way of looking historically at the War, sprang up just a year after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Started by an historian-journalist named Edward Pollard, the Myth asserted that the South’s cause was noble (state’s rights) and that its men were only beaten by superior Union numbers (men and resources). In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Southern historians, and eventually many mainstream historians from across the country, were able to argue that the War had little if anything to do with the expansion of slavery. So pervasive was the Myth during the first half of the twentieth century that we can see it clearly delineated in films from Hollywood’s Golden Age—Gone with the Wind, The General, Santa Fe Trial, and numerous others. For heaven's sake, Birth of the Nation was the Myth "written with lightning" (as Woodrow Wilson might say). 

Personally, I will go with a quote from a more recent film, Night at the Museum: “North wins... Slavery is bad... Sorry... Don't want to burst your bubble but South, you guys get Allman Brothers...and... Nascar. So just chill!”

The more I understand about historiography, the more I like it!