- Wednesday, May 3, 2017
- 3:30 PM–5:00 PM
- Meeter Center Lecture Hall
Students graduating with honors in history will present their senior honors theses. Please join us in celebrating our students' achievements by hearing the results of their year-long research.
This year we have three student presenters:
India Daniels
‘These Wretched Fellow-Subjects of Ours’: Nineteenth-century India as Empire and Mission Field
The early– to mid-19th century was a time of growth for British commerce and colonial power in India, which led to a complex knot of political and religious aspirations between the East India Company, the British crown, Christian missions, and Indian subjects. This paper will unravel this dynamic by taking a look at the portrayal of Indian culture and religion in the Church Missionary Society’s Church Missionary Paper quarterly. Finally, it will reflect on the degree to which British empire-building and kingdom-building were complicit, and the degree to which their aims were fundamentally in tension. Advisor: Doug Howard.
Isaac LaGrand
Contradiction and Crisis: Migration to Europe in the Era of Neoliberalism and Restriction
This paper argues for a new periodization in the history of migration to western Europe after World War Two. Most historians have focused on the state-run migrant recruitment of the 1950s through 1970s that established a multicultural western Europe. This paper argues for the importance of understanding the period of 1973 to the present as a unified period of migration to western Europe driven by the neoliberalization of the western European labor market and the increase in restrictions on residency, citizenship, and asylum. This periodization is especially valuable for understanding the historical roots of Europe’s current refugee crisis. Advisor: Doug Howard.
Alyssa Van Haitsma
‘I, a Former Soldier and a Greek’: Dissonance and Hope in Ammianus’ Late Antique Rome
This paper discusses the Res Gestae of Ammianus Marcellinus, a Roman historian who lived and wrote during the 4th century CE. Ammianus was a native Greek speaker, a Latin writer, a soldier, and a pagan—he was, in some ways, the last of his kind. It will first discuss Ammianus and his paganism, primarily using his description of the life of the emperor Julian, whom he admired deeply. Next, it will examine the border wars of 4th-century Rome, paying special attention to the Germanic tribes with whom Ammianus interacted. Finally, it will apply some of the literary theoretical practices that pre-Modern historians have adopted to look at Germanic-Roman relations as presented by Ammianus in a different light. Advisor: Young Kim
Co-sponsored by the Honors Program.
This event is part of our monthly history colloquia series. These lectures are open to the Calvin community - students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends - and all are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Come early to enjoy refreshments and conversation, and feel free to ask questions or join the discussion at the end.
