Hi and welcome to ‘a handful of history’, my fortnightly sharing of real-life stories from around the world. All the narratives I pick are rooted in history one way or another, yet I feel that most of them carry themes and happenings that seem very present day-like. I create this blog out of love and curiosity for the field of human history and culture, and I’m happy that you find it interesting too. My blog and newsletters are free; if you want to help me keep it going, please join my newsletter. THANK YOU. Thanks for being here - let's dive in. Enjoy! Majken xx
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - I
In September 1900, L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” sold nearly 15,000 copies within a month of its publication. It remains the most popular of the Oz books, “not least of all because it’s the only one illustrated by W. W. Denslow”, this article writes. I agree; the illustrations are lovely.
Fun fact. According to the text, Denslow bought himself an island on which he built a castle-like house and proclaimed himself King Denslow I. How cool is that? Later on, though, he had to give up the island after he’d invested a large sum of money in a Broadway production that didn’t succeed. Oh well.
Illustrations: "The branches bent down and twined around him" & "These people were all made of china".
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - II
In the summer of 2005, a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in the film “The Wizard of Oz” was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in the small town of Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
The podcast “No Place Like Home” investigates what happens following the theft from start to finish and the mystery that still surrounds the events to this day. However, most interesting of all - in my view - is the insights the podcast gives you to the persons, places and organisations surrounding these slippers. There’s Hollywood and its peculiar world of memorabilia, the market for lost and stolen art and - not least - we get to hear about the life of Judy Garland. The podcast even has an interview with Garland’s son.
White Mischief
Although we’ve heard a lot about white supremacy and structural racism within the last years, there’s still new information (and toe-curling examples) to add to the subject. The radio program “White Mischief” does just that. And it’s even created in a somewhat light tone which is quite an achievement when you think about the seriousness of the subject.
“Whiteness is the default. The every day. The background hum to our society.
Whiteness hides in plain sight.
It’s an idea that influences and shapes how we live.
Whiteness refers to the way white people, their ways and culture operate as a standard by which all other groups are compared.
But the idea of whiteness as the norm also comes with the built-in value system.
Throughout history, it has meant that non-white people have been seen as abnormal or inferior.
It’s an idea that persists. Sometimes with disturbing consequences of what and who we value in society.” (Ekow Eshun IN “White Mischief”, BBC)
Being a black person himself and living in a mainly white society, the writer and curator of art exhibitions Ekow Eshun has been thinking about race all his life. In three episodes, he explores the role of whiteness from different angles, asking questions like where does the idea of whiteness come from? How has it changed throughout time? What role does artificial intelligence play in reinforcing ideas about whiteness? (A couple of years back, a facial recognition software used by the police in the US was tested. 25 pictures of members of the US Congress - all people of colour - were uploaded. The algorithm identified the majority of them as potential criminals.) In the end, Eshun speaks with two writers and an artist posing the final question: can we live without whiteness?
Recommendations from the program: "Top Boy" (Netflix series). Books: “How to Argue With A Racist” by Adam Rutherford and “The Good Immigrant” by Nikes Shukla.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you! Just go here and send me your message. Thank you - Majken xx
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