Cartoons for The Workers’ Herald, James Christie Scott (1920s)
Dr. Henry Dee uncovers the global footprint of radical black activism in 1920s South Africa, through the cartoons of James Christie Scott. James Christie Scott’s cartoons illuminate black experiences of 1920s colonial capitalism. Commissioned by South Africa’s first major black trade union, his works subvert contemporary ideas of race, and imagine transformative moments of emancipation. ‘Scotty’ is best known today for his towering Black Samson mural. But arguably, his miniatures - his striking cartoons for the widely circulated The Workers’ Herald – had an even bigger global impact. PRESENTER: Dr. Henry Dee, post-doctoral research fellow at the International Studies Group, University of the Free State. ART: Cartoons for The Workers’ Herald, James Christie Scott (1920s). IMAGE: ‘When He Awakes’ in The Workers’ Herald (1926). SOUNDS: Uhadi. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES at: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
24 Joulu 202015min
The Tribes of Israel (Jacob and his Twelve Sons), Francisco de Zurbarán (1640s)
Akemi Luisa Herráez Vossbrink depicts relations between imperial Spain and the Americas, through Francisco de Zurbarán’s paintings, The Tribes of Israel. From Seville’s most acclaimed religious artist, Francisco de Zurbarán’s portrait series The Tribes of Israel (1640s) depicts the Old Testament patriarch Jacob and his twelve sons. The only such painting series to be found in Europe, de Zurbarán’s works inspired colonial reinterpretations in Peru and Mexico. Produced in Spain, destined for Latin America, and currently housed in the north of England, The Tribes of Israel reflect global artistic exchanges and power dynamics. PRESENTER: Akemi Luisa Herráez Vossbrink, doctoral candidate at the University of Cambridge, and Meadows Museum Center for Spain in America (CSA) Curatorial Fellow. ART: The Tribes of Israel (Jacob and his Twelve Sons), Francisco de Zurbarán (1640s). IMAGE: ‘Joseph, from Jacob and His Twelve Sons’. SOUNDS: Gnawledge. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES at: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
10 Joulu 202014min
Bengali Colcha with Triumphal Arch of the Flemish (Mid 17th Century)
Dr. Laura Fernández-González explores the circulation of visual trends between imperial Lisbon and India, through the design for the Bengali Colcha with Triumphal Arch of the Flemish. Numerous Indian colchas, or wall hangings, were made for the orientalist markets of imperial Portugal. But this unique Bengali Colcha depicts a triumphal arch – the same temporary arch designed and erected in Lisbon by a foreign community of Flemish merchants, to welcome the Spanish king Philip II of Portugal (and III of Spain) into the capital in 1619. The mesmerizing architecture, figures, and flora depicted speak of several coeval artistic traditions, spaces, empires, and cultures. PRESENTER: Dr. Laura Fernández-González, senior lecturer in Art/Architectural History and Theory at the University of Lincoln. ART: Bengali Colcha with Triumphal Arch of the Flemish (Mid 17th Century). IMAGE: ‘Indian, Bengal: Wall Hanging: Triumphal Arch, Mid 17th Century’. SOUNDS: Sultan. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES at: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
26 Marras 202015min
Electra House, London (1902)
Dr. Alex Bremner navigates London as the powerhouse of British technological imperialism, by looking at Electra House. Home to the Eastern Telegraph Company, London’s Electra House became the centre of Britain’s global telecommunications empire at the turn of the twentieth century. The regulated mesh of its architecture similarly ensnared global geographies, submitting it to the whims of commercial and imperial prerogative. Electra House persists as an important artefact of corporate and technological empire, and a stark precedent for contemporary geopolitical struggles over 5G broadband. PRESENTER: Dr. Alex Bremner, professor of Architectural History at the University of Edinburgh. ART: Electra House, London (1902). IMAGE: ‘Electra House’ in Electra House: The New Home of the Eastern and Associated Telegraph Companies (1902). SOUNDS: Silicon Transmitter. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES at: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
12 Marras 202012min
La Haine, Mathieu Kassovitz (1995)
Dr. Emile Chabal navigates the contemporary echoes – and explosions – of French colonialism, through Mathieu Kassovitz’s 1995 film La Haine. Through the dangerous escapades of the young Vinz, Hubert and Saïd, La Haine explicitly depicts life in the French banlieue (‘suburbs’, or ‘projects’) - from aggressive altercations with the police and everyday racism, to social marginality and spatial exclusion. Kassovitz shows France as a damaged, post-colonial nation, unable to fulfil its promise of liberation and integration, echoing the fundamental contradiction at the heart of French colonialism. PRESENTER: Dr. Emile Chabal, reader in History and former director of the Centre for the Study of Modern and Contemporary History (2016-2020) at the University of Edinburgh. ART: La Haine, Mathieu Kassovitz (1995). IMAGE: ‘La Haine (1995)’. SOUNDS: Adrian Beentjes, David Cunliffe, Anthony Donovan, and Hopek Quirin. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES at: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
29 Loka 202014min
John Bull’s Other Island, George Bernard Shaw (1904)
Journalist Megan Kenyon explores imperial relations between Britain and Ireland, through George Bernard Shaw’s 1904 play, John Bull’s Other Island. Ireland was England’s first colony, and the first colonial state to become independent from imperial rule. Yet, with its cutting depiction of Anglo-Irish relations, John Bull’s Other Island famously made the observing English King Edward VII break off the arm of his chair with laughter. George Bernard Shaw depicts Ireland on the precipice of its emergence from conventional British imperial rule, and glimpses at the new forms of commercial imperialism to come. PRESENTER: Megan Kenyon, journalist. ART: John Bull’s Other Island, George Bernard Shaw (1904). IMAGE: ‘George Bernard Shaw’. SOUNDS: Audio Library. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES at: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
15 Loka 202014min
The Great Mosque(s) of Djenné, Mali
Dr. Peter Clericuzio observes complex imperial hierarchies between Mali and France, through the Great Mosque(s) of Djenné. Population 32,000, Djenné is a small city in Mali, itself one of Africa's less famous countries. Yet, the (third) Great Mosque of Djenné attracted international attention in the twentieth century, extolled as a symbol of the power and diversity of the global French Empire. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the architecture and complicated history of the Great Mosque(s) reveal the nuances of the French colonial enterprise during a stark transitional period. PRESENTER: Dr. Peter Clericuzio, professor of architectural history and heritage at the University of Edinburgh. ART: The Great Mosque(s) of Djenné, Mali. IMAGE: ‘The Great Mosque of Djenné’ in L’Illustration (1911). SOUNDS: Andrew Oliver Kora Band. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES at: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines
1 Loka 202013min
