iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Looking for a short interview about a instrument you've never heard of, which has an amazing global Black history? Look no further! Kristina R. Gaddy interviews me for her substack here: openstacks.substack.com/p/walk-jawbone

openstacks.substack.com

Walk Jawbone

Another Instrument Traversing Black Culture and White Appropriation; an interview with Dr. Jason Petrulis

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

New! Kristina Gaddy, banjo historian extraordinaire, interviews me about the Jawbone as a global Black musical instrument... openstacks.substack.com/p/walk-jawbone

openstacks.substack.com

Walk Jawbone

Another Instrument Traversing Black Culture and White Appropriation; an interview with Dr. Jason Petrulis

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Leon Jackson @drleonj.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Today was my last day as a Surfacing Overlooked Stories Fellow at @bpl.boston.gov. Over the past ten weeks in Special Collections, I read through 294 boxes of papers and 19 manuscript volumes, plus a further 134 boxes at other archives. Numbers, however, don’t really tell the story 🗃️🧵

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Thinking about LLMs, through epigraphs from HL Gates Jr.'s The Signifying Monkey:

I then commenced and continued copying the Italics in Webster's Spelling Book, until I could make them all without looking on the book. By this time, my little Master Thomas had gone to school, and learned how to write, and had written over a number of copy-books. These had been brought home, and shown to some of our near neighbors, and then laid aside. My mistress used to go to class meeting at the Wilk Street meetinghouse every Monday afternoon, and leave me to take care of the house. When left thus, I used to spend the time in writing in the spaces left in Master Thomas's copy-book, copying what he had written. I continued to do this until I could write a hand very similar to that of Master Thomas. Thus, after a long, tedious effort for years, I finally succeeded in learning how to write. -- Frederick Douglass

. .. language, for the individual consciousness, lies on the borderline between oneself and the other. The word in language is half someone else's. It becomes "one's own" only when the speaker populates it with his own intention, his own accent, when he appropriates the word, adapting it to his own semantic and expressive intention. Prior to this moment of appropriation, the word does not exist in a neutral and impersonal language (it is not, after all, out of a dictionary that the speaker gets his words!), but rather it exists in other people's mouths, in other people's contexts, serving other people's intentions: it is from there that one must take the word, and make it one's own. -- Mikhail Bakhtin

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Anyone else hear similarities/vibes between Edwin Hawkins's Oh Happy Day (67) www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJoh... and Carole King's I Feel the Earth Move + It's Too Late (71)? www.youtube.com/watch?v=6913... www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkKx...

youtube.com

The Edwin Hawkins Singers - Oh Happy Day (Official Audio)

YouTube video by EdwinHawkinsVEVO

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Jamie Pietruska @jpietruska.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Excited to be part of the Made by History launch with the long history of weather gambling, featuring rain betting, illegal "weather pools," and attempted bribery. TY @carlygoodman.bsky.social for terrific editing and @jmburns.bsky.social for reading and our many prediction market conversations!

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Carly Goodman @carlygoodman.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Because it is our launch day, we have a second Made by History piece up today, by Jamie Pietruska, on the long history of betting on the weather, a practice now supercharged by phones, betting apps, and climate change. Everything has a history! 🎁 share.inquirer.com/XFrZX1

share.inquirer.com

The real-world consequences of gambling on the weather

Making bets on the weather is a practice that goes back centuries. In an age of climate change and online betting markets, the stakes are much higher.

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Tim Sherratt @wragge.hcommons.social.ap.brid.gy · 07/03/2026

Near the end of my residency at State Library Victoria, I had a chat with Paula Bray about the stuff I've been doing for the past 30 years, and why I think it's important. It's online now if you want to listen: lab.slv.vic.gov.au/experiments/my-p… #GLAM […]

hcommons.social

Original post on hcommons.social

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Kate Bagnall @baibi.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Have your used one of my publications, or digital projects like the Real Face of White Australia, in your teaching (since 2020)? If so, I would love to hear how you've used my work and how students have responded – and see your unit / course outline, too! Email kate.bagnall@utas.edu.au 🗃️

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

🗃️ 🐴 Happy New Year! In 1854, the US Navy's "Perry Expedition" to Japan and the Ryukyus was anchored at the main island of Okinawa (which they called "Lew Chew," for Ryukyu) for the New Year; and saw and translated the New Year wishes posted around them. From the Expedition's official Narrative:

A snippet of text from the Official Narrative describing New Year poetry from Okinawa in 1854:

"On each successive visit to the island the gentlemen of the expedition gathered additional scraps of information as to customs, one of which is so similar, in the feeling which prompts it, to our own new year's congratulations, that it is worthy of a passing notice. In the spring, when the new year opens in Lew Chew, and perhaps in Japan also, (though of the latter we cannot speak certainly,) the usage of the islanders is to offer the expression of their good wishes and friendly feelings in the form of inscriptions attached to the houses of each other, or sent to the inmates. Mr. Williams translated several of these, a few of which we subjoin as specimens:
'Gay clouds meet the rising, glorious sun; ten thousand joys greet the opening spring.'
'Let all sing these days of general peace, and rejoice together in the opening spring.'
'May all joys clamber about your happy abode; may a thousand lucks collect at this gate.'
'May every door have luck and joy, and every land be blessed with peace.'
'May your felicity be as broad as the eastern sea; your age enduring as the southern hills.'
'The peach tree in fairy land ripens in thirty centuries; may the seaside house be blessed with ninety more autumns.'
'We joyfully hope the brightening year will meet a flourishing time, as the bloom of spring begins to shine upon this humble door.'
'May the three stars, peace, office, age, enter your door; and sons, riches, honors, bless your gate.'
'Happiness descends from heaven.'
'As the wind and light go their circuits through the world, so does the gladsome spring from heaven to us come down.' "

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Kate Bagnall @baibi.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

There’s valuable information recorded in Chinese on Tasmania’s old Chinese headstones that is gradually disappearing, like on Claude Nam Shing’s headstone in Cornelian Bay Cemetery. I’ve worked out some of the characters, but not all of them. Any thoughts, clever people? 🗃️ #EverdayHeritage

Old gravestone with the name Claude Nan Shing and other faint Chinese and English words on it

View of Claude Nam Shing’s grave among other graves in Cornelian Bay cemetery

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Michael Röllinghoff @roellinghoff.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

My article is finally in print! I detail the impact of Japanese colonial policy on Ainu health during the early-mid Meiji period, focusing on the village of Tsuishikari. The article's subtext is the broader question of Indigenous health in historical research.

academic.oup.com

The Necessities of Life: Japanese Colonial Policy as a Social Determinant of Ainu Health, 1876–1887

Summary. In this paper, I reassess the Meiji period (1868–1912) Japanese public health and Indigenous management policies, focussing on the Karafuto Ainu i

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Jim Casey @jimccasey1.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

We are going to focus @douglassday.bsky.social in Feb 2026 on the Colored Conventions and their visions for citizenship. We need to tell a much fuller story about the 14th amendment. The history is crystal clear. The Constitution is crystal clear.

Circle design that reads "All rights for All" with the website address Douglass Day.org. White text on red background.

Portrait of Dred Scott on a light pink background, surrounded by the words "Douglass Day 2026" and the website address Douglass Day.org

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Love is the Message Podcast @lovemessagepod.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Love is the Message joins BlueSky! We're a podcast about music, the dance floor, sound systems and counterculture, hosted by @jemgilbert.bsky.social and Tim Lawrence. www.loveisthemessagepod.co.uk Apple: tinyurl.com/5n6ehsd6 Spotify: tinyurl.com/59fnvebu Patreon: tinyurl.com/mvbmdc9e

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Our report is published! Free and available to the public! Black History at the Vassall Estate Longfellow House—Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site This is the story of a Black family in Massachusetts who exemplified the spirit of liberty. read: irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Do...

cover of the report: Black History at the Vassall Estate, Special History Study, with the National Park Service header. The image on a tan background is the signatures of members of the Black Vassall family.

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Hong Kong Free Press HKFP @hongkongfp.com · 14/09/2025

"Journey With Me Through Hong Kong, My Home," a children's activity book published by Professor Puja Kapai's DEIJB Lab at HKU, highlights the lives and careers of 12 ethnically diverse women in the city. In full: buff.ly/YnEFq69

buff.ly

Children's book on HK's ethnic minority women empowers young readers

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永原宣 Hiromu Nagahara @hiromunagahara.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

It's August 6 in Japan now. I'm thinking of my family's experience in Hiroshima 80 years ago and feeling grateful that I spent some time in the city this past January. Photo taken at Shukkeien, where my great grandmother evacuated to escape the fire that engulfed her neighborhood after the bombing.

Photo of a pond inside the Shukkeien garden. You can see two carps under the shadow of a stone bridge, along with the reflection of the clouds above.

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Andrew Popp @andrewpopp.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

BREAKING! Over the moon excited to announce Ai Hisano's appointment as next editor-in-chief at @entandsoc.bsky.social!

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NCC (北米日本研究資料調整協議会) @nccjapaninfo.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

How can we teach about disaster & history using ephemera? Revisit our #NCCSpotlight “Earthquake Children Image Archive: A Window into Disaster & Humanity” by Dr. Janet Borland (ICU) to learn how her work on the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake translates to classrooms: guides.nccjapan.org/homepage/new...

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University of Illinois Press @illinoispress.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

💬 "The committee was impressed by the article's significant contribution to organology as it recontextualizes the jawbone/quijada, highlighting its multifaceted cultural roles." www.facebook.com/100064526028... 🏆 Learn more about the prize: www.amis.org/frances-dens...

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University of Illinois Press @illinoispress.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

🎉 Congratulations to American Music author Dr. Jason Petrulis for being recognized as the 2025 Honorable Mention for the Frances Densmore Prize from the American Musical Instrument Society! @petrulis.bsky.social

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

🗃️ Reminder: if you are a university professor, professor emeritus, or associate professor of history, you are eligible to nominate *anyone you want* for a Nobel Peace Prize. www.nobelprize.org/nomination/p... Nominations for 2026 open in September!

nobelprize.org

Nomination and selection of Nobel Peace Prize laureates - NobelPrize.org

A nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize may be submitted by any person who meets the nomination criteria. A letter of invitation to submit is not required. The names of the nominees and other informati...

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Neil J. Young @neiljyoung.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

DC folks, come join me at the Smithsonian today from noon to 1! americanhistory.si.edu/events/calen...

americanhistory.si.edu

Book Signing: Neil Young, "Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right"

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Elizabeth Tandy (Ellie) Shermer @etshermer.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Newberry Scholarly Seminar Deadline Approaching! June 6. Please apply!

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Ansley Erickson @ansleyerickson.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Quite the time to be a historian of US civil rights and Black freedom struggles. Here's a reading suggestion, from well before we got quote-unquote woke. William Chafe, *Civilities and Civil Rights.* Capsule version? Civility discourse impedes rights. Period. archive.org/details/civi...

archive.org

Civilities and civil rights : Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Black struggle for freedom : Chafe, William H., 1942- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

xi, 282 pages : 21 cm

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Vivien Chan @inoutofpractice.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

I had the pleasure of being one of the people Juli would share her insights with while walking around Hong Kong. It sparked lots of conversations about what we can vs. what we choose to call history. Super honoured to share Juli's work in From Place to Place!

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Britt Robinson @brittrobinson.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

🎉 I’m SO proud to share that Black Voices in Asian Studies—a new initiative from #NABEA, is LIVE! This newsletter is all about spotlighting the Black scholars, professionals and leaders shaping the field of Asian Studies! 🚨 Our 1st issue just dropped—check it out & share mailchi.mp/c4f01de26c19...

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James Lin @jamestwotree.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Open access publication! My book is now available open access for everyone to read and download free on the @ucpress.bsky.social website: www.ucpress.edu/books/in-the... A brief thread about the book /1

ucpress.edu

In the Global Vanguard by James Lin - Paper

Scholarship is a powerful tool for changing how people think, plan, and govern. By giving voice to bright minds and bold ideas, we seek to foster understanding and drive progressive change.

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Rhiannon Giddens @rhiannongiddens.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

This book has been a few years in the making and we are so excited to share the cover! Kristina R. Gaddy and I have brought together 19 pieces of Black music created between 1687 and 1867, spanning from the Caribbean to North America, with my banjo tab, plus the story behind each piece.

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Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her) @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

On #highereducation, historical research, #archives, #libraries, and the benefits of finding and evaluating original materials rather than asking a plagiarism-ecocide to tell you what exists, see this essay in my free newsletter: buttondown.com/surekhadavie...

buttondown.com

Basement adventures showed me why ChatGPT can only ever be garbage.

In The British Library. Photo by Surekha Davies. Hallo readers, First, a news flash: Join me for a virtual book launch for HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY...

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Enterprise and Society @entandsoc.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

We cherish everything we publish, but occasionally something special comes along. So, we're delighted to present Michael Bennett & Mike Anson's "The Compensation Agency Business: London Merchants, Bankers, & the Payment of Slavery Compensation, 1835-46." This ... www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

cambridge.org

The Compensation Agency Business: London Merchants, Bankers, and the Payment of Slavery Compensation, 1835-46 | Enterprise & Society | Cambridge Core

The Compensation Agency Business: London Merchants, Bankers, and the Payment of Slavery Compensation, 1835-46

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

All of Yasmin Williams's Tiny Desk concert is great, but I was especially taken by the fascinating way this song combines instruments/techniques/sounds. Williams tapes a kalimba to her guitar and plays both at once, while she also tap dances on a tarima, backed by a djembe! youtu.be/E6-z-Gqd30Q?...

youtu.be

Yasmin Williams: Tiny Desk Concert

YouTube video by NPR Music

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University of Illinois Press @illinoispress.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

It's American Music Vol. 41, No. 3! Featuring "From Jonkonnu and Son de los diablos to Congo Square and Son Jarocho: Global Histories of the Jawbone/Quijada as a Black Musical Instrument" by @petrulis.bsky.social & 3 other new articles on @projectmuse.bsky.social

buff.ly

Project MUSE - American Music-Volume 41, Number 3, Fall 2023

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

FYI, Microsoft is changing its Office 365 package to raise the price by including AI. To reject this, go to account then subscription, then choose "cancel" and it will give you the option to revert to "Classic" ($30 cheaper) without AI.

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

PSA: To disable Copilot in MSFT Word, go to File:Options:Copilot and uncheck the box.

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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

A fantastic web publication from RISD about French wallpaper design! risdmuseum.org/art-french-w...

Title page for a web resource on French wallpaper design, featuring the collection title set atop a triangular geometric pattern

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

🗃️ "It strips off the garments of civilization and arrays him in the t-shirt and the Topher moccasin slippers." Frederick Jackson Target, 2024

Tan t-shirt found at Target, with text over the left breast that reads: "Manifest your Destiny."

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Andrew Popp @andrewpopp.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

One of two important current calls around business history and imperialism. The first for a special issue of @businesshistory.bsky.social on Business History & Imperialism: @kevindtennent.bsky.social, @nkleinoeder.bsky.social

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Emily Conroy-Krutz @econroykrutz.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Just in time for gift-giving season, it's giveaway time! I've got some free downloads of the audiobook of Missionary Diplomacy & would love to share. Repost to enter and I'll pass along codes to the winners. And if you don't win, you can order at the link below! www.audible.com/pd/Missionar...

audible.com

Missionary Diplomacy

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Missionary Diplomacy illuminates the crucial place of religion in nineteenth-century American diplomacy. From the 1810s through the 1920s, Protestant missio...

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Jeremy Yellen @jeremyyellen.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

My new book, JAPAN AT WAR, 1914-1952, is available for pre-order. It is a political history that highlights the centrality of war to the Japanese experience between World War I and World War II. www.routledge.com/Japan-at-War... There is currently a 25% off discount at Routledge!

routledge.com

Japan at War, 1914–1952

Japan at War, 1914–1952 is a synthetic and interpretive history that highlights the centrality of war to the modern Japanese experience. The author argues that war was central to Japanese life in this...

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Jason Petrulis @petrulis.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

From 1953's _When We Get Back Home from Japan,_ poking fun at how US military retained local habits when returning home after occupying Japan. This one's on wearing a medical mask when you have a cold... Thanks to @kml.muninn.net for sharing on Internet Archive: archive.org/details/when...

Text and cartoon from 1953 book, "When We Get Back Home," lampooning local habits retained by US military returning from occupied Japan. Cartoon depicts a sailor wearing a medical mask, confronted by his son, who carries a six shooter. Caption reads: "No -- I'm not going to be a bandit -- I've just got a cold." Text next to cartoon reads:

A TOUCH OF PANIC nudges the newcomer to Japan as he observes some of the Japanese, men and women, strolling the streets wearing a mask over their mouths, Are they bandits? Social outcasts? Refugees from a hospital’s operating room?

No, he discovers, they are none of these. They merely have a cold. The mask prevents the spread of germs and keeps out the cool, blowing wind. Some of the Japanese, when going to a crowded place or riding a crowded train, wear a mask even though they haven’t a cold. But wearing the mask prevents them from catching a cold from someone who has a cold but wears no covering. Wakaru desuka? (Do you understand?)

IF an American youngster sees his dad outfitted with the thieving trademark, he immediately thinks of the old “cops and robbers” game. And before he can explain, Pop finds a toy pistol staring him in the Face.

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Enterprise and Society @entandsoc.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

What better way to inaugurate Enterprise and Society's brand new Bluesky account than with Sharon Murphy's superb 2024 @businesshistoryc.bsky.social Presidential Address, presented here Open Access. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

cambridge.org

Doing Business in the Public Interest | Enterprise & Society | Cambridge Core

Doing Business in the Public Interest

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