2023 Peer-reviewed articles
The American Public and “Difficult Histories”: What World Historians Can Learn from a National History Survey
By Peter Burkholder, Ph.D., Fairleigh Dickinson University
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© 2023 The Middle Ground Journal (ISSN: 2155-1103) Number 26, Fall 2023
Abstract: There are clear indications that the American public can become exercised about historical issues. But away from sensationalized press coverage, there is evidence of shared values. This article draws on results from a recent national survey to put “difficult histories” in context, offering world history teachers and researchers actual data on where matters stand. This article was originally presented as a paper at the 2022 Midwest World History Association conference.
Keywords: academic freedom, critical race theory, divisive concepts, polls and surveys, public opinion, revisionism, wedge issues
About the Author: Peter Burkholder is professor of history at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. He is the recipient of distinguished faculty awards for both teaching and research at FDU, as well as the American Historical Association’s Gilbert Award for the best article on teaching the past. He is on the editorial board of The Teaching Professor, is a consulting editor for College Teaching, and serves on the national advisory board of the Society for History Education.
Edited by Jeanne E. Grant; special thanks to the anonymous peer reviewers.
The Streets Where the Dragons Dance: The Street Life of Calcutta’s Chinatowns
By Aritra De, History Ph.D. candidate, Texas Tech University
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© 2023 The Middle Ground Journal (ISSN: 2155-1103) Number 26, Fall 2023
Abstract: This article discusses the history and the socio-political and cultural life of the streets of Calcutta’s Chinatowns through an examination of the gradual assimilation of Chinese immigrants that fostered the existing cosmopolitan character of the city. After providing the history of Chinese immigration to the city, the essay highlights the civic, political, economic, and cultural life of the streets of the Chinatowns, where each section chronologically examines how the influx of other Indian communities, political instability, urban development, and rise of capitalist enterprises influenced and transformed the Chinese street life.
Keywords: Chinatown, cultural hybridity, Chinese immigration, Cold War, Sun Yat-sen Street, Tangra, Calcutta
About the Author: Aritra De is a Ph.D. candidate and a Teaching Assistant in the Department of History at Texas Tech University. He completed his master’s and bachelor’s degree from Jadavpur University, India. He was a Research Assistant from November 1, 2014, to October 31, 2015, in a research project entitled “Political Culture among the Women Members of Scheduled Caste Community in Panchayati Raj Institutions (P.R.I.) of District Nadia” sponsored by University Grants Commission, affiliated to Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
Edited by Julie Tanaka; special thanks to the anonymous peer reviewers.