along thewalk
Conversaciones H istoricas con el Mestizaje en
Daria A . E11raq11e, Associate Professor of History; illtro-
Dc:mielle ;Jt the Wddsworth
dllction by L11is Fig11eroa, A ssociate Professor of History
by Alm• Jones Collins
Honduras y su ldentidad Nacional
(Sa n Pedro Sula, H onduras: Centro Editorial, 2004; 279 pages) In this collection of essays, Prof. Euraque explores th e history of race relations in 19th- and 20th-century H onduras. The seven essays in the book, four published here for th e first time, are grounded in many years of research in arch ives and private collectio ns of documents in
Danielle at the Wadsworth
Honduras, the United States, Italy, and Jamai ca. Most of th e essays are also
Almajo11es Co /lilts, M.A. '52 (Stron g Books, 2004; 48 pages)
enriched by extensive oral history interviews amon g indigenous peoples and
This book, for readers young and older, offers a lighth earted
peoples of African descent in Honduras. Essays also address the presence of
visit to H artford's Wadsworth Atheneum, th e oldest publi c art
Middle Eastern and European migrations to H on duras and their positi on in
museum in the United States, through the eyes of Danielle, a
Honduran national ethnic history. While the book is focused on H onduras in
youthful visitor w hose mother is a docent at the institution.
th e Central America n context, its historiographical concerns are connected to
Not on ly do we see high-quality reprodu ctions of some of
broad questions of nationalism, etlmic id entity and its politics, the constructi on
the Atheneum's finest paintin gs, but we also are rreated to a
of racial formations, and th e rol e of memory in these and connected processes.
runnin g comm entary from D anielle, who offers some origi-
The title, translated to English, is Historical C01wersatio11s with Mesrizaj e (R acial
nal and unexpected views on art and the ru les of museum
Miscegeuatio11)
etiquette. The illustrations are by Kamil Kubik and Lisa
i11
Ho11d11 ras attd its Na tio11al Idemit y.
Lichtenfels.
Religion on Trial: How Supreme Court Trends Threaten Freedom of Conscience in America
David W Machacek, R esidm r Fellow at the Cree11berg Ce11ter for the St11dy of Religio11 i11 P11blic Life and Visit ing A ssistallt Professor of P11blic Policy; Phillip E. Hammond; a11d Eric Michael Maz ur (AltaMira Press, 2004; 160 pages) The authors argue that th e free exercise of conscience is under threat in th e United States, that the conservative bl oc of th e Supreme Court is reversing the progress of reli gious liberty that has been steadily advanc in g, and that this danger will only increase if more conservative judges are nominated to th e court. Against Justices Scalia, Thomas, and C hi ef Justi ce R ehnquist, the authors argue that what th e First Amendment protects is the freedom of individual convic ti on, not th e rights of sectarian majorities to infli ct th ei r valu es on others. Begi nnin g with an analysis of the origins of the Co nstitution and then following th e history of signifi cant church-state issues, R eligion 011 Trial shows that the trajectory of American history has been toward greater freedoms for more Am ericans: freedom of reli gion movin g gradu ally toward freedom of conscience regardl ess of religion. But in the last quarter-century, conservatives have ga in ed politi cal power; and th ey are now attemptin g to limit th e abili ty of the court to protect the rights of individu al co nscience. Writing not just as scholars, but as advoca tes of ch urch-state separation, Hammond, Machacek, and Mazu r make the case that every American needs to pay attention to what is happenin g on th e Supreme Court or risk losin g the liberties of conscience and religion that have been gained so far.
16
TR I
lT V REPO RT ER
I Wi11ter 2005
Black Portsmouth: Three Centuries of African· American Heritage
Mark). Satnllwt·ts '75 a11d valerie C 111m.ingham (University of N ew H ampshire Press, 2004; 265 pages) In this pi oneering book, th e auth ors celebrate th e rich heritage of more than three ce nturies of AfricanAmer ican life in Portsmouth , N ew Hampshire. Highlighted are stori es about the "likely negro boys and girls from Gambia ," who debarked at Portsmouth from a slave ship in 1758; Prince Whipple, who fought in the American R evolution; and Ri chard Potter and John Tate of the Peopl e's Baptist C hu rc h, w ho overcame the tragedies and chall enges of th ei r ancestors' enslavement ro build communiti es and found institutions in th eir city. Broader issues are covered, in cludin g the anti-slavery movement and civil rights. Th e book includes a guide to th e physical locations-wharfS, warehouses, taverns, homes, etc.-that are discussed in the various chapters.