Linda's Blogspot

  The Grease of Progress: How Lipids, Transatlantic Capital, and Industrialization Reshaped 19th-Century Europe ​The narrative of the Industrial Revolution is often framed through steel, coal, and steam. We recount the mechanical breakthroughs that replaced manual labor: the Spinning Jenny condensing the work of entire cotton-spinning villages, threshing machines separating wheat from chaff on unprecedented agricultural scales, and steam engines supplying non-stop mechanical force to cotton mills and foundries. ​However, behind the high-speed iron gears and burgeoning factories lay a critical, often-overlooked necessity: lipids . As 19th-century Europe industrialized, it starved for oils and fats. Without constant lubrication, metal gears seized under high friction; without cheap industrial soaps, overcrowded industrial cities faced rampant public health crises. The lipid trade became a vital bridge linking transatlantic capital, colonial economies, machine maintenance, and Fr...

  Edward Bernays: How One Man Helped Shape the Art of Mass Persuasion Have you ever wondered why people purchase certain products, support particular political candidates, or suddenly become interested in something that never mattered to them before? Sometimes the answer has less to do with the product itself than with the way it is presented. A product can be sold as a symbol of freedom. A politician can be presented as a champion of ordinary people. A company can associate its name with environmental protection or social progress. These strategies have a history, and one of the people who helped develop them was Edward Bernays. Bernays did not invent the idea of propaganda. Governments, religious institutions, political leaders, and merchants had been influencing public opinion for centuries. However, he helped develop modern public relations into a systematic profession that used psychology, publicity, and organized communication to shape public attitudes. His story offers...

A Taste of Paris in My Brooklyn Neighborhood How French bread, childhood memories, and a simple peanut butter sandwich changed the way I think about food My visit to Paris for Wikimania 2026 reinforced something I had already discovered at home in Brooklyn: I really enjoy French bread. I was already eating a variety of French breads daily. Living in a downtown Brooklyn neighborhood gives me access to French and Italian breads, so I don't have to travel to Europe to enjoy them. But my visit to Paris made me think more deeply about bread, the foods I enjoy, and the simple pleasures of eating. Unexpectedly, it also took me back to my childhood. Brooklyn: A Neighborhood of Bread One of the advantages of living in downtown Brooklyn is having access to different kinds of bread. French and Italian breads are part of the variety available to me, and I have developed a particular appreciation for French bread. I enjoy eating it regularly. Its taste and texture make it something I look forwa...

The Myth of a Static Africa: How Europe Misunderstood African History For centuries, some European writers described African societies as static. The word suggested that African civilizations had remained unchanged for generations, lacking the innovation, political development, and intellectual advancement that Europeans associated with progress. But were African societies really static? The historical record tells a different story. African societies developed complex political institutions, extensive trading networks, sophisticated agricultural practices, artistic traditions, and systems of education and knowledge long before European colonial rule. Their histories included periods of expansion, innovation, conflict, adaptation, and transformation. So why did some European scholars and colonial authorities portray Africa as a continent that had stood still? The answer has much to do with how Europeans defined civilization, how they interpreted African traditions, and how these interp...

Before Colonialism: The History of Cotton, Weaving, and African Knowledge in West Africa Long before European factories transformed the global clothing industry, African communities were growing cotton, spinning thread, weaving cloth, and developing textile traditions that served their economies, cultures, and daily lives. When we discuss the history of cotton, we often begin with the Industrial Revolution in Europe or the cotton plantations of the American South. But there is another story worth exploring: the history of African farmers, spinners, weavers, dyers, and merchants who developed textile industries long before European colonial governments reorganized African agriculture. The history of West African cotton is particularly interesting because it connects agriculture, environmental knowledge, craftsmanship, commerce, and cultural identity. Archaeological discoveries in present-day Mali provide physical evidence of this history. Research also shows that textiles were important...