Among the many things which distinguish man from the lower animals and perhaps in a more spectacular but less extensive way distinguish man at an advanced level of culture from primitive man is the capacity to use the recorded experience of the past. This can help determine his actions in the present and thus determine in part what kind of future the world will see. The codification of knowledge of the past and its interpretation constitute the material of history. Doctrines and beliefs, various schools, and ideological sets about history determine each period's interpretation of what has gone on in the past. For instance, how may one reconcile the doctrinal myth of progress with the fix that the world is in now? In the light of contemporary ideas about causation, determinism, accident, objectivity, and the function and role, if any, of the individual person in history, ideas thin out. Professor

What is History

When Black Culture and Black Consciousness first appeared thirty years ago, it marked a revolution in our understanding of African American history. Contrary to prevailing ideas at the time, which held that African culture disappeared quickly under slavery and that black Americans had little group pride, history, or cohesiveness, Levine uncovered a cultural treasure trove, illuminating a rich and complex African American oral tradition, including songs, proverbs, jokes, folktales, and long narrative poems called toasts--work that dated from before and after emancipation. The fact that these ideas and sources seem so commonplace now is in large part due this book and the scholarship that followed in its wake. A landmark work that was part of the \"cultural turn\" in American history, Black Culture and Black Consciousness profoundly influenced an entire generation of historians and continues to be read and taught. For this anniversary reissue, Levine wrote a new preface reflecting on the writing of the book and its place within intellectual trends in African American and American cultural history.

Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought from Slavery to Freedom

The importance of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare practices, providing clues to new areas of research and in biodiversity conservation is now well recognized. However, information on the uses for plants for medicine is lacking from many interior areas of Himalaya. Keeping this in view the present study was initiated in a tribal dominated hinterland of western Himalaya. The study aimed to look into the diversity of plant resources that are used by local people for curing various ailments. Questionnaire surveys, participatory observations and field visits were planned to illicit information on the uses of various plants. It was found that 35 plant species are commonly used by local people for curing various diseases. In most of the cases (45%) under ground part of the plant was used. New medicinal uses of Ranunculus hirtellus and Anemone rupicola are reported from this area. Similarly, preparation of "sik" a traditional recipe served as a nutritious diet to pregnant women is also not documented elsewhere. Implication of developmental activities and changing socio-economic conditions on the traditional knowledge are also discussed.

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Traditional use of medicinal plants among the tribal communities of Chhota Bhangal, Western Himalaya

That Noble Dream: The "Objectivity Question" and the American Historical Profession. Peter Novick

Ethnopharmacological field studies: a critical assessment of their conceptual basis and methods.

Ten essays fill in some gaps in the study of plantations by exploring the experience of the workers themselves, focusing on their reaction and adaptation to their situation, which ranged from acquiescence to rebellion. Most of them consider workers in the South Pacific islands, but others treat work

Plantation Workers: Resistance and Accommodation

(1997). Towards a united future: Report of the Fiji constitution review commission. The Journal of Pacific History: Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 71-84.

Towards a united future: Report of the Fiji constitution review commission

Coup: Reflections on the Political Crisis in Fiji

(1985). Veil of Dishonour: Sexual jealousy and suicide on Fiji plantations. The Journal of Pacific History: Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 135-155.

Veil of Dishonour: Sexual jealousy and suicide on Fiji plantations ∗

On 5 December 2006 Commodore Frank Bainimarama, head of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, staged Fiji's fourth coup since its first in May 1987. The flashpoint came after a long drawn out confrontation between the military, overwhelmingly indigenous Fijian, against a predominantly Fijian-led government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. The military accused the government of breach of faith and of giving succour to politicians who had been variously implicated in the George Speight-led coup of 2000, rewarding them with ministerial portfolios. The introduction of controversial bills, promising amnesty to coup convicts, and the government's curious unwillingness to take the military's threats seriously, compounded the problem. The coup deposed a democratically elected government but it also in the process dealt a severe blow to the influence of some of the most important institutions of Fijian society. A military-appointed interim administration, with Bainimarama as prime minister and Labour le...

Brij V. Lal

Papers

Plantation Workers: Resistance and Accommodation

Towards a united future: Report of the Fiji constitution review commission

Coup: Reflections on the Political Crisis in Fiji

Veil of Dishonour: Sexual jealousy and suicide on Fiji plantations ∗

Anxiety, Uncertainty, and Fear in Our Land: Fiji's Road to Military Coup, 2006