Merengue—the quintessential Dominican dance music—has a long and complex history, both on the island and in the large immigrant community in New York City. In this ambitious work, Paul Austerlitz unravels the African and Iberian roots of merengue and traces its growth under dictator Rafael Trujillo and its renewed popularity as an international music.Using extensive interviews as well as written commentaries, Austerlitz examines the historical and contemporary contexts in which mer...

"Surely a ‘must’ for any wargamer with a serious interest in the Grande Armée, and likely to remain the definitive work on the subject for the foreseeable future." – Miniature WargamesA snow-capped hill in modern day Czech Republic, dominated by a small church with black onion dome, stands on a field of battle that cemented Napoleon’s position as Emperor of the French. His throne was secure. His power was limitless. Europe lay at his feet. The Battle of Austerlitz ...

Music is powerful and transformational, but can it spur actual social change?A strong collection of essays, At the Crossroads of Music and Social Justice studies the meaning of music within a community to investigate the intersections of sound and race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and differing abilities. Ethnographic work from a range of theoretical frameworks uncovers and analyzes the successes and limitations of music's efficacies i...

« On ne saurait nier qu’en 1814, l’Angleterre n’eût conclu un traité de paix avec Bonaparte, si ses prétentions eussent été modérées ; et l’Espagne ne peut ignorer que, même après qu’on eut mis de côté Bonaparte, il n’ait été question, entre les alliés, de placer un autre qu’un Bourbon sur le trône de France. »Canning, ministre des affaires étrangères.(Note diplomatique adressée au gouvernement espagnol le 25 mars 1825 par le gouvernement de la Grande-Bretagne.)

EXTRAIT:Les canards des bassins furent les premiers ennemis véritables d’Omer Héricourt ; lorsqu’il commença de s’éveiller au monde, dans les bras d’une Picarde en bonnet noir, et à fichu de Madras. Certain jour, il étrennait une robe de nankin toute neuve, pour une promenade dans le jardin du Tribunat.