Month: April 2017

New Course – Human Mobility: The Anthropology of Migration

International Centre for Migration, Health and Development

 

HUMAN MOBILITY: The Anthropology of Migration

ANTHROP 7805-0010, (34355) Sem-Ethnology (Seminar)

Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:35AM – 10:55AM Smith Lab 4094

Jeffrey H. Cohen, PhD

Human Mobility – migration – defines history. Humans have always moved.  This class builds a space for dialogue as we use the anthropological study of migration to talk across disciplinary boundaries.  Two goals drive our seminar: 1) to follow the development of migration theory and methods; and 2) understand the costs and benefits of mobility.  In addition to classroom discussions of migration theory, students will be asked to share their work.

 

For more information, please contact the instructor at cohen.319@osu.edu

 

To see other graduate and undergraduate courses that engage the concepts of migration and mobility, visit here.

Dorthea Lange: Documenting Migration

Dorthea Lange was an American documentary photographer who is best known for her Depression-era photography in which she humanized the impacts of the Great Depression.

Some of her most striking photography visualize rural poverty and the exploitation of migrant laborers.  These images, from the NYPL digital archives, document the movement of cotton hoers traveling from Memphis to work the at plantations in Alabama.

 

The last truckload of cotton hoers from Memphis bound for the Wilson Cotton Plantation in Arkansas, 43 miles distant, June 1937.
Date: 1937
Photographer: Dorothea Lange

 

Women being transported from Memphis, Tennessee to an Arkansas plantation, July 1937.
Date: 1937
Photographer: Dorothea Lange

 

These cotton hoers work from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for $1.00 near Clarksdale, Mississippi, June-July 1937.
Date: 1937
Photographer: Dorothea Lange

 

Cotton hoers loading at Memphis for the day’s work in Arkansas; June, 1937.
Date: 1937
Photographer: Dorothea Lange

Ellis Island and the NYPL Digital Collections

Twelve-million immigrants came to the United States through Ellis Island in Upper New York Bay from 1892-1954.  At its peak, immigration officials reviewed about 5,000 immigrants per day, two-thirds of whom came from eastern, southern, and central Europe.  According to the Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation, the all-time daily high was April 17, 1907 when 11,747 immigrants were processed.

Numerous photographers documented arrivals at Ellis Island, and many of these photographs are available through the New York Public Library Digital Archives.  These photographers captured the atmosphere of the immigration center as well as those arriving, many of whom wore the traditional dress of their home countries.  Below are some of those images.

William Williams, the original collector of these images, was the federal commissioner of immigration for the Port of New York, from 1902 to 1905 and again, from 1909 to 1914.

Immigrant Station, Ellis Island, with ferry docked at adjacent pier.
Date: 1902-1913
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Edwin Levick

 

View of the Immigration Station, Ellis Island (front side).
Date: 1902-1913
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Edwin Levick

 

Immigrants seated on long benches, Main Hall, U.S. Immigration Station.
Date: 1902-1913
Collector: William Williams

 

The pens at Ellis Island, Registry Room (or Great Hall). These people have passed the first mental inspection.
Date: 1902-1913
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Edwin Levick

 

Immigrants being registered at one end of the Main Hall, U. S. Immigration Station.
Date: 1902-1910
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Edwin Levick

 

Large dining hall, empty except for about ten members of the dining hall staff. The place settings consist of a worn porcelain-enameled plate, a fork and knife.
Date: 1902-1913
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Edwin Levick

 

Uncle Sam, host. Immigrants being served a free meal at Ellis Island.
Date: 1902-1913
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Edwin Levick

 

Ready for travel and going north, south and west. Immigrants with baggage lined up at teller’s windows marked money exchange.
Date: 1902-1913
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Edwin Levick

 

Three women from Guadeloupe.
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Augustus F. Sherman

 

Slovak woman and children.
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Augustus F. Sherman

 

German stowaway.
Date: 1911
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Augustus F. Sherman

 

Dutch woman.
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Augustus F. Sherman

 

Group photograph captioned ‘Hungarian Gypsies all of whom were deported’ in The New York Times, Sunday Feb. 12, 1905
Date: 1902
Collector: William Williams
Photographer: Augustus F. Sherman

The Globalising Wall

This stunning video installation by Danae Stratou was based on a text by Yanis Varoufakis.  It was exhibited at The Mangere Arts Centre in New Zealand in 2012-2013 and The International Visual Arts Program in Adelaide, Australia in 2012.

 

“
Walls have a longstanding relation both with liberty from fear and subjugation to another’s will. After 1945, walls acquired an unprecedented determination to divide. They spread like a bushfire from Berlin to Palestine, from the tablelands of Kashmir to the villages of Cyprus, from the Korean peninsula to the streets of Belfast. When the Cold War ended, we were told to expect their dismantling. Instead, they are growing taller, more impenetrable, longer. They leap from one continent onto the next. They are globalising. From the West Bank to Kosovo, from the gated communities of Egypt to those of California, from the killing fields of old Ethiopia to the US-Mexico borders, a seamless wall is meandering its way, both physically and emotionally, on the planet’s surface. Its spectre is upon us.”  – Yanis Varoufakis

 

Click here to visit the artist’s website to watch part 2 of the installation and to see stills from the videos.

 

From Outrage to Dialogue: Having Conversations When You Disagree

Thursday, April 20 at 7 PM – 8 PM
Bexley Public Library
2411 E Main St, Bexley, Ohio 43209
Free admission

It can be difficult to have conversations with people who hold differing opinions.  Our community partner, the Bexley Public Library, is hosting a discussion about how to engage in these discussions and hopefully bridge some of the divisions that have developed in our country.

Below is the official description of the event:

“In this age of current political polarization, Capital University professor of Communication and University Debate Coach Dr. Stephen Koch will discuss how to engage in constructive conversations with people holding different opinions. This program is offered in partnership with the City of Bexley, Bexley City Schools, and Capital University.

“Dr. Koch currently serves as Professor of Communication and
University Debate Coach for Capital University. His 40-year career coaching intercollegiate debate spans program directorships at California State University Bakersfield, Miami University, Ohio University, and Capital University. Under his leadership, Capital’s Debate Team was named national champion at the 2011 National Educational Debate Association Competition.”

HRIT Podcast Episode Five: Rethinking Representation in Diaspora

The newest episode of the podcast from our friends over in the Human Rights in Transit Project (HRIT) explores Urur Dhex-Dhexaad Ah: Community In-Between.   This project by Qorsho Hassan and Ruth Smith, is a participatory research project in which the research subjects are involved in the development of the project.

Visit the HRIT page to hear the episode and learn more about Urur Dhex-Dhexaad Ah.

WOSU: Ice Cream With A Sprinkle Of India, From An Immigrant In Columbus

When a person leaves home, they leave behind friends, family, parts of their culture, and their food.  This story from WOSU tells the story of one immigrant who decided to bring a taste of home with her.

“Sitting within an unassuming strip mall in north Columbus, Mardi Gras looks like just another ice cream store. Inside, the chilled glass countertop is filled with the typical flavors – mint chocolate chip, butter pecan and strawberry ice cream.

“Turn to the adjacent wall, though, and you’ll see a large white board listing dozens of flavors found nowhere else – like kesar pista (a blend of saffron, cardamom and pistachio) or chickoo (a sweet tropical fruit originally found in Central America).

“These are all original flavors developed by the store’s owner, Mita Shah. For the last 17 years, she’s perfected these recipes using a unique mix of fruits, nuts and spices, many inspired by Indian cuisine.”

Continue reading or listen to the story here.

This unique ice cream parlor can be found at 1947 Hard Rd, at the intersection of Smoky Row Rd.

 

New Podcast from SfAA

In 2007, the Society for Applied Anthropology began a podcast project.  Over the past ten years, the project has grown, and this year, one of the themes was titled “How we think, work, and write about migration” presenting anthropological perspectives on migration research.  The session took place in 2017 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, and included, Global Mobility Project Team Member Jeffrey Cohen.  You can listen to the episodes here: http://sfaa.net/podcast/index.php/podcasts/2017/how-we-think-work-and-write-about-migration

CHAIR: FREIDENBERG, Judith (UMD)

Session Participants:

PENDRY, De Ann (UTK)

METZ, Brent E. (KU)

COHEN, Jeffrey H. (OH State U)

VÉLEZ-IBÁÑEZ, Carlos G. (ASU)

GRIFFITH, David (ECU)

UNTERBERGER, Alayne (FICS)

BOEHM, Deborah (UNR)

SPREHN, Maria (Montgomery Coll.)

 

Poetry by Ingrid Raphael at the Global Gallery

Ingrid Raphael performed two of her poems at the opening reception for the Global Mobility Project’s exhibit “Global Mobility and Its Human Dimensions” at The Global Gallery in Hagerty Hall at Ohio State University on March 20, 2017.

Ingrid Raphael is a senior studying International Studies at OSU. She is the co-founder of the GRID ZINE: a small magazine highlighting the neglected voices in the immigrant and refugee narrative. The zine features artwork, poetry and narratives from generational immigrants identifying individuals from all over the U.S. Three of the contributors are Ohio State University students, who share their experiences and observations of the immigrant experience through poetry.

The GRID ZINE is available for purchase by e-mailing thegridzine@gmail.com and is featured on Philadelphia Printworks’ website.