wadehistory.bsky.social
Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow at Leiden | Historian of early modern French global commerce - political/economic/social/maritime history 🇫🇷🌍🏳️🌈 | Privilege, Economy and State in Old Regime France out now - download for free http://t.ly/NMc17
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It is indeed!
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Day 62: Another application ready to go, and a week of decent sunshine ahead. I press on.
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Day 61: A beautiful moment in Delft today, in solidarity with Ukraine 🇺🇦
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Given the number of French historians who follow me, it'd be remiss of me to not share this wonderful resource: a frequently updated map of all the bean-to-bar chocolatiers in metropolitan France and the overseas departments. Spectacular chocolate can be found in some surprising places!
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I'm sure some will question my framing and/or wonder why I was so slow to see all this, which is entirely fair. Europe has been sleepwalking into this, but there have been people sounding the alarm (on different fronts) for a long time. I still have lots to learn. I'll get to work. /end
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...took up a lot of the political oxygen in the room. For my part, it's sobering to look back on the last decade and appreciate that this volatile geopolitical climate was there all along; I just didn't join the dots on how it would all fit together in this present, pressing crisis. /3
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I pose the question not to ascribe blame, but as an exercise in historical thinking. With the benefit of hindsight, the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Trump's election in 2016 should have galvanised a change in focus on the European level. Yet Brexit, COVID and broader economic challenges... /2
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Given the number of French historians who follow me, it'd be remiss of me to not share this wonderful resource: a frequently updated map of all the bean-to-bar chocolatiers in metropolitan France and the overseas departments. Spectacular chocolate can be found in some surprising places!
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Thanks Alexia – I'm glad it's proving of interest!
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Day 60: Chocolate, to unwind! My brain is a little "loud" right now after a demanding week buried in archival documents. Taking notes with paper and a pen as thoughts come to me is helping. I can already tell the writing process for the book is going to be intense but cathartic.
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This week's bar is from French chocolatier Chocolat Bonnat. Their generous bean-to-bar tablettes are crowdpleasers, and this 75% Venezuela bar is no exception: there are rich, earthy notes with hints of spice, but in classic French style, there's a clear sense of balance. A pick-me-up bar, for sure!
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Zelenskyy has given Trump the opportunity to play a role in the peace process, but Trump hasn't taken that opportunity at all seriously. That's on Trump, not Zelenskyy. Yesterday was a humiliation indeed, but not for Zelenskyy nor for Ukraine.
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The scenes in the Oval Office today will shame the US for decades. They’ll never be forgotten.
A world leader, fighting for his country against the 21st century’s Nazis, came to the US and was attacked & abused by a gangster regime siding with the fascist invaders.
A historic disgrace.
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Zelensky held his own up brilliantly, in his second language, against two of the most pathetic individuals on the face of this planet.
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...They weren't being lost in the post: the post office clerks ostensibly had such "curiosity" for the latest news that they were pilfering the hot-off-the-press copies of the Gazette to read themselves, then pass on to their friends! A striking vignette of early modern print and news culture /end
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Day 58: I've let myself fall out of the habit of reading for pleasure, and I'm determined to rectify that. I finally finished a book this evening that I've had on the go for far too long (assuredly not for lack of interest!). Now the real challenge begins: to pick the next book to read...!
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Very much so! The sources I've looked at up to now have been mostly from the perspective of Paris/Versailles or Constantinople/Izmir/Aleppo, leaving things in Marseille quite hazy. Finally getting to see things from the perspective of Marseille has been like completing a complex jigsaw puzzle
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Day 57: A longstanding mystery has been resolved through my source work today – albeit the resolution is so dramatic that it's probably going to require its own chapter in the book. No rest for the wicked...
Away from the office, crocuses are starting to appear by the riverside!
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Thanks Maxime! This was more or less my reading too, but it's reassuring to have a native speaker's confirmation of that
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(The year is 1687, if it's of any interest!) /end again
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..."par les voyes de la civilité qui se pratiquent de turc a more et desgal a esgal", and are thus annoyed by his conduct. Any ideas on how "de turc a more" is being used here? I have a hunch, but don't want to presume anything. Any thoughts would be much appreciated! /end
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Day 55: A morning of source work (the letter-books never cease to delight), a casual game of chess over lunch with a friend (in which we both blundered our queens), and an afternoon spent on admin, including finding reviewers for these books that just arrived. Overall, a good start to the week!
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Day 54: Chocolate to celebrate the first spring-like day of the year here in Leiden! Not even needing a coat to go for a walk is a novelty I enjoy rediscovering every year.