“This presentation excavates the varied attitudes toward Turkish among Ottoman Armenians in the nineteenth century. It seeks to correct a fundamental misunderstanding about the relationship between Ottoman Armenians and the Turkish language, to reframe Ottoman Armenians as agents in their use of Turkish, and to expose Turkish as something far more than a “language of the oppressor” for many Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The presentation begins by offering an overview of Ottoman Armenian Turcophonia. It examines three language attitudes that led bilingual Ottoman Armenian men in Istanbul to choose Turkish over Armenian in specific social contexts (source: https://events.berkeley.edu/melc/event/262339-forbidden-attraction-ottoman-armenians-and-the)
The event has been sponsored by the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, UC Berkeley, and the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
I hope you have had a fruitful summer. I wanted to send you some updates about the Caribbean and Latin American Studies collection development and my activities for the past few months as your department’s liaison librarian.
I’m excited to share some recent library acquisitions that will enhance your research and teaching resources at UC Berkeley. Here are the highlights of our new collections. Besides electronic resources, I purchase print materials for current teaching and research. This year, I launched a permanent approval plan for contemporary Mexican books. I will continue to offer by appointment student research consultations regularly throughout this semester. Please have your students reach out to me through my email: Lpendse at Berkeley.edu
Digital Archives and Journals
Cine Cubano: Latin America’s Oldest Film Magazine
This invaluable resource offers over 200 issues spanning six decades of Cuban revolutionary and Latin American cinema. It provides unparalleled access to film theory, filmmaking approaches, and reviews from 1960 to 2019.
Cine Cubano, 1960-1962
Cuban Pre-Revolutionary Cinema
This collection documents the development of Cuban cinema from the Silent Era to 1959, including the complete run of Cinema magazine from 1935 to 1965
Feminism in Cuba: Nineteenth through Twentieth Century Archival Documents
Feminism in Cuba, 1898-1958
Compiled from Cuban sources, this collection illuminates Cuban feminism, women in politics, and literature by Cuban women from independence to the end of the Batista regime.
Prensa Libre Digital ArchiveAccess the digital archive of Prensa Libre, a leading Guatemalan newspaper published in Guatemala City since 1951.
Prensa Libre Digital Archive Access the digital archive of Prensa Libre, a leading Guatemalan newspaper published in Guatemala City since 1951.
E-book Collections Iberoamericana Vervuert Frontlists (2022-2024)
We’ve acquired the latest front lists from the Iberoamericana Vervuert publishing house through DeGruyter, covering publications from 2022 to 2024.
I also purchased the following rare periodicals for Berkeley.
Alfonsina Revista Mensual
Zulma Nuñez (Dir)
Published in Buenos Aires by Impresiones El Sol, 1953
In-8. #1 Oct 1953 – #3 Dic 1953 (Complete set). Wrappers in slipcase.
Collaborators: Fanny Navarro, Iris Marga, Duilio Marcio, Maciel Barbosa, Evelina Benasso, Gomez Cou, and others. Apart from literary and artistic criticism, this magazine dedicates many chapters to the life and work of Alfonsina Storni, with many illustrations of his house in Lugano, Switzerland, and stages of his life. Missing to all bibliographies
Alfonsina Revista Mensual Zulma Nuñez (Dir) Published in Buenos Aires by Impresiones El Sol, 1953
Revista Artes Graficas Organo Oficial
Publisher: Buenos Aires Graficos Platt
Publication Date: 1941
Edition: 1st Ed
In-8. #1 Sep 1941. #2 Oct 1941, #4 May 1942, #5 Jan Mar 1943. Collaborators: Pablo Paoppi, Jose Carbonell, Felix de Ugarteche, Among others. Rare graphic magazine that only cites incompletely Washington Pereyra, it came out with an irregular frequency for three years, from September 1941 until September 1943, probably 7 or 8 issues max. In all its issues, this magazine brings some extraordinary studies on the first printing presses of Argentina and Paraguay Jesuit missions. Washington Pereyra T4,p204.
Title: SOLCALMO. Revista de Dinamizacion Mental: …
Publisher: Buenos Aires S.A.G.A.
Publication Date: 1967
Binding: Sin Encuadernar
Edition: 1ª Edición.
In-8º. #1 Verano de 1967-1968 (Complete set). Collaborators : Miguel Grinberg, Manuel Ruano, Eduardo Barquin, Victor Garcia Robles, Oscar Barney Finn, Jorge Lavelli, Horacio Vaggione. This initial number of Solcalmo, publication of the orbit of Miguel Grinberg, also included the original prologue of Gombrowicz`s book Ferdydurke—Provenzano page 306.
Prada Fortul, Antonio. Benkos… Las Alas de un Cimarrón : Volumen 1. 1st ed. Bogotá: Programa Editorial Universidad Del Valle, 2024. Print.
Carabalí Díaz, Liliana. Memorias de un Orgullo de Ebano : Graciela Diaz, el trasegar de una mujer afrocolombiana / Liliana Carabali Diaz. Bogota, Colombia: Programa Editorial Universidad del Valle, 2022. Print.
These new resources significantly expand our holdings in Latin American studies, film, literature, and history. I encourage you to explore these materials for your research and teaching needs.
If you have any questions or need assistance accessing these resources, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Happy researching!
Liladhar
Library Liaison for the Caribbean and Latin American Studies
The library has started a thirty-day trial for Cine Cubano that some faculty members and students in Spanish and Portuguese may find of research interest.
Here is the link that one can use to access the trial.
More about Cine Cubano database: Cine Cubano is a journal that provides valuable insights into Cuban revolutionary cinema and Latin American cinema. It has over 200 issues from 1960 to 2019, covering six decades of film theory, techniques, and reviews. The journal has now been digitized and made available online for the first time, providing unprecedented access to film scholars and students. All 205 print issues have been scanned and included in this new online collection. The scanning was done at the ICAIC Film Institute in Havana, Cuba, where the journal originated. Overall, this is an important new digital resource for studying the history of Cuban and Latin American cinema. The online availability makes decades of film knowledge more accessible.
The 1990s and early 2000s marked a turbulent period in Ukraine’s history due to the fall of the Soviet Union and the emergence of an independent Ukraine. Despite gaining free speech and property rights, citizens faced economic hardships. Corruption scandals and the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze in 2000 sparked nationwide protests against the political elite. The Local and Independent Ukrainian Newspapers collection covers this era up to the Orange Revolution (2004–2005), offering insights from over 900 newspapers across 340 cities, reflecting regional and ethnic dynamics. The collection includes publications in Ukrainian, Russian, and other languages like Armenian, German, Polish, etc., providing a detailed view of historical events. Access to this database is supported by the Center for Research Libraries and its members.
Introducing “Capturing Struggle: Ukraine Through American and Ukrainian Lenses,” an exhibition dedicated to documenting the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. This online exhibition features powerful images captured by American and Ukrainian photojournalists, marking the third year of the war against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.
The exhibition not only commemorates the unprovoked Russian aggression but also sheds light on the ongoing struggle of Ukrainians amidst civilian deaths, assaults on infrastructure, and human rights violations. It offers a glimpse into the daily lives of Ukrainians through compelling photographs. We are grateful to Brendan Hoffman (USA), Serhii Korovayny, Oksana Parfeniuk, and Serhiy Mykhalchuk (Ukraine) for generously allowing us to showcase their impactful work. Also, We want to thank Svidok and AI for Good Foundation for helping us with additional photos.
Special thanks to Professors Anastassia Fedyk, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, and Nataliia Goshylyk of the University of California Berkeley, and Professor Monica Eppinger of St. Louis University’s School of Law for their unwavering support in organizing this online exhibition and related events. These events aim to highlight the resilience of Ukrainian archivists, librarians, human rights lawyers, and publishers. We also have featured recommended readings from UC Berkeley Library’s collections based on the faculty input (In English, In Ukrainian).
The idea for bringing this exhibition to the library originated at Fulbright Ukraine and Institute of International Education Kyiv, of which the Director of both these institutions, Dr. Jessica Zychowicz, is a UC Berkeley Alumna (English, ’04). Deputy Director Inna Barysh, Communications Officer Marian Luniv, and Program Officer Mariia Kravchenko envisioned the first exhibit which took place in Vynnitsia, Ukraine, and continue to co-curate all iterations. The photographs provided by Serhii Korovayny and Serihy M. were not part of the original Fullbright exhibition and were a later curatorial addition. Fulbright Ukraine has held exhibitions at several U.S. and European universities and museums, including in locations in Berlin, Czech Republic, and Bulgaria attended by U.S. Ambassadors.
Ruling Together: Consultation and Collaboration in the Political Regimes of Premodern Eurasia
February 16, 2024
Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall, UC Berkeley
Reza Abbasi Museum (Calligraphy of Mir Emad Hassani)
The conference focuses on the medieval and early modern periods (1000-1700 CE) as a crucial era for cross-cultural contact, challenging the lesser emphasis this period has received within “Silk Road” scholarship. It argues that viewing Eurasia merely as a space of intermittent object and idea exchange through trade or diplomacy depoliticizes cultural and goods spread, which is inadequate for understanding the political dynamics of these centuries dominated by the Mongol Empire and its successors. Emphasizing the role of political institutions in transregional history, the conference aims to integrate the study of cross-cultural contact with political history, highlighting Central Asia’s significance in the global political history of the medieval and early modern periods.
8:30 Tea and Coffee
9:00 Welcome Remarks
Panel 1
Who Should Rule? Institutions of Sovereignty and Succession
9:15 Christopher Atwood, University of Pennsylvania
The First Interregnum: Imperial Stake Holders in a (Temporarily) Khan-less World
9:45 Michael Bechtel, Nazarbaev University
Mongol Empire 1229-46: Frameworks of Rule and Redistribution (Related article is here)
10:15 Jonathan Brack, Northwestern University
Chinggisid Family Feuds, Islamization, and the Religious Sphere in Mongol-ruled Iran
10:45 Evrim Binbaş, University of Bonn
The Theater of Constitutional Ideas: The First Timurid Civil War and Shahrukh’s Ascension to Timur’s Throne
11:15 Discussion
11:45 Lunch break
Panel 2
How to Rule? Transcontinental Institutions
1:30 Carol Fan, University of Bonn
Revenue sharing networks within the Mongol Empire and transregional contacts
across Eurasia in the 13th and 15th centuries
2:00 Paehwan Seol, Chonnam National University
The Jarghu: Mobile Courts and Justice Networks of the Mongols throughout East-
West Asia during the 13th to 14th Centuries
2:30 Natalia Królikowska, University of Warsaw
Numerous Nogay peoples, the Circassians and innumerable Tatars’ influence on the decision-making process in the Crimean khanate.
3:00 Discussion
3:30 Tea and Coffee
Panel 3
What is Ruling? Conceptualizing State and Empire
3:45 David Sneath, University of Cambridge
The Lords’ Administration: Mongolian aristocratic governance and the state as social
relation
4:15 Munkh-Erdene Lhamsüren, National University of Mongolia
The Chinggisid Sovereignty: Myth, Archetype, and Transformation (see similar article here)
4:45 Kaveh Hemmat, Benedictine University
Rule of Law in Islamicate Civic Lore Concerning the Mongol Empire and China
5:15 Discussion
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues without a meaningful resolution in sight, Ukrainians continue to document the stories of Russian aggression in their country. One such project is Svidok. Svidok (свідок) means witness. The bilingual multimedia website allows Ukrainians to record their stories associated with Russian aggression. The purpose of recording is not only documenting their everyday lives but also to bear witness to history as it unfolds in their independent nation-state.
Svidok is your personal war journal. Where you can safely and securely store your experiences of living through the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and collect evidence of all the atrocities and war crimes that were committed by the Russians.
Svidok has been built by Ukraine’s proud citizens and friends in partnership with the AI for Good Foundation to ensure the truth of this war is accurately documented.
Про Свідок
Свідок – це ваш особистий щоденник війни. Ви можете безпечно та надійно зберігати свій досвід життя під час російського вторгнення в Україну та збирати докази всіх звірств та військових злочинів, які були скоєні росіянами.
Свідок був створений щирими громадянами та друзями України у партнерстві з Фундацією AI for Good, щоб гарантувати, що правда цієї війни буде точно задокументована.
UC Berkeley Library has purchased ongoing access to Prensa Libre Digital Archive (1951-2024). Prensa Libre is a well-respected Spanish-language Guatemalan Newspaper. It began publishing in 1951, and since then has provided extensive coverage of politics, news, social conditions, history, governance issues, Garífuna, Mayan, and other indigenous communities (Pueblos Originarios en Guatemala), and civil war(s) in Guatemala and Central America.
We hope that this newspaper resource will be of great use to our faculty and students who study Anthropology, Politics Social Sciences, History of Central America, and Latin America.
Recently in light of Russian invasion of Ukraine, with almost everything Russian being canceled in society at large, I wanted to bring to our readers’ attention a new digital resource on the Collection of laws and orders of the government of the RSFSR and the USSR. The resource is in Russian, and it was created by the Elektronnaia biblioteka istoricheskikh dokumentov (Электронная библиотека исторических документов).
The source provides access to digital copies of the laws and various orders of the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic and Soviet Union. I hope historians of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation will find this resource of academic interest.
One can search within the text using specific keywords.
Trial access to the Africa Commons digital archival collections, produced by Coherent Digital, is available until January 31st. This resource provides access to books, magazines, newspapers, government documents, manuscripts, photographs, videos, and oral histories related to African history and culture. Africa Commons is a project which aims to enable Africa to easily control, digitize, and disseminate its cultural heritage–within Africa, and internationally.
Africa Commons comprises four distinct collections:
History and Culture, an index of open source materials related to African history and culture.
The Hilary Ng’wengo Archive documents the fifty-year career of the iconic Kenyan journalist, publisher, commentator, and public figure Hilary Ng’wengo through his magazines, newspapers, television programs, and documentaries.
