Michell Chresfield Interview 6/5/19

Cambridge American History Seminar Podcast

Here's the second episode of Easter Term, which marks the midway point of our Easter seminars! Dr Michelle Chresfield, a lecturer in United States History at the University of Birmingham talks to Lewis Defrates about her paper 'It's in the Blood: Physical Anthropology, Genetics, and the Making of America's Triracial Isolates' and broader research on the role of social science, genetics and eugenics in the ongoing struggle regarding the recognition of triracial isolate communities in the eastern part of the United States of America. Dr Chresfield talks about the complicated relationship between triracial native people and the researchers who visited their communities, the ongoing utilisation of the results of this social research (which often used categories and methodologies that may seem outdated) in attempts to enshrine their status as native, and the work that historians have to undertake in grappling with the unfinished nature of topics such as these. All in all it's a fascinating area of research, and I feel that really comes across in the conversation here! Note: I have to apologise for the lack of reaction/awkward moment following the favourite album question- I had a bit of a coughing fit, and what you hear here is the result of my shoddy editing skills trying to cut it out of the recording! I'd like to state here, while i have the chance, that Songs in the Key of Life is an incredible album, and I meant no disrespect to Mr Wonder! If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback, get in touch via @camericanist on Twitter or [e-mail]. Spread the word, and thanks for listening! See you next week!