This is how you do it. #BlackLivesMatter #PalestinianLivesMatter #KnowledgeMatters #HistoryMatters

Monsters are us Historian Surekha Davies examines how and why humanity makes monsters, and lays out the case for embracing your inner Muppet

“Wide-ranging, weirdly fascinating.”—The Ink.

This is from the delightful interview essay by @mivanberk.bsky.social, which appeared alongside an excerpt from HUMANS in the newsletter masterminded by @anandwrites.bsky.social.
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Hi Jonathan. Thanks for getting in touch! I'm trying to contextualise a group of Tupinambá who were at Court and met the king and queen regent (that I know of at the Louvre and in the Capuchin Church) in 1613 and early 1614. If you have any tips for what to look at, I'd be incredibly grateful :-)

You know what else goes faster than humans? Cars.

A flat brown cardboard package shaped like a ginormous raviolo on a pale wooden floor. A pair of legs in mid-blue jeans and thick, deep pink socks stand ready.

My right hand is holding up a paperback copy of HUMANS: A Monstrous History at an angle, in front of a bookcase brimming with brightly coloured books. The cover of HUMANS is mostly crimson, with bright yellow stylized lettering. A large, oval, whitish mirror with an elaborate black frame of SFF characters takes up the centre of the cover.

The back cover of HUMANS; my hand and the bookcase also in evidence.

A back cover detail showing the pull-quotes from published reviews.

The paperback of HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY from @ucpress is now in my hands!
There's new jacket copy! There are review quotations on the back:
💙📚 🧪🗃 #ancient #medieval #earlymodern #18thC #histsci #histmed #politics
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That's a great thought - thanks so much!

I see - thank you! Truthfully, I'm trying not to go TOO much down the rabbit hole. There's a danger of trying to turn myself into a French historian when I'm just supposed to shoring up the French context for a (mostly microhistorical) article about a group of Tupi travellers to Paris ;-)

Sorry to be dim, but why? Does he have a particular connection to the Capuchins or Brazil that I don’t know about?

But I’m trying not to fall down a rabbit hole and try to turn myself into a French historian for the sake of one, mostly microhistorical , article. It’s basically drafted (and has been for years) but I want to make sure I’m secure on the French context, which isn’t my usual bag. Thank you again.

Yes, that’s a good idea. All the meetings are 1613/14 at an around the Louvre and Capuchin church, and both are mostly present. I also want to look into the Capuchins at that moment, especially France Equinoctiale, which seems to have been quite sparsely studied.

I mean, alas for my skin and my crumbling body, but for the rest of me I’m quite enjoying having no f**ks left to give.

💯

Funnily enough, Paul has also replied ;-) But thanks!

My favorite recent book on early c17 France proper is @tombhamilton.bsky.social _A Widow's Vengeance_. @csschmitt.bsky.social _The Predatory Sea_ is essential for the c17 Caribbean. As a rule, I read everything I can find by @maneuvre.bsky.social.

Panel discussion | By Flesh and Toil: How Sex, Race, and Labor Shaped the Early French Empire

Came here to shout about Melanie (join us for a discussion about her book on 18 May)

@juliehardwick.bsky.social's work is extraordinary and pays attention to the imperial entanglements. @lrhodges.bsky.social great on the trading companies.

It looks amazing! Thanks so much :-)

Thank you! I'm grateful for you taking the time to reply :-)

Thank you both - that's super helpful!

Thanks so much Paul - this all looks super helpful! I'm particularly trying to look at the court during Louis XIII's minority, as well as France Equinoctiale. It's context for a group of Tupinambá travellers to France in 1613.

*high five* Something about being a woman of a certain age too for me, I think.

If you replied about my French history query and haven't had a reply - thank you so much! BlueSky seems to think my mentions are 'forbidden' so I haven't been able to reply to everyone yet.

OH MY GOD. The whole thing really is beyond satire.

Love Christian's work! Thank you Ignacio :-)

Thank you so much! I *think* his work is just a tiny bit late - I'm interested in the court of Louis XIII when Marie de' Medici was regent - but it looks great!

That's all super helpful - thanks so much Brett! In particular I'm trying to look at the court of Louis XIII when he was a minor (c.1613) and France Equinoctiale.

Thank you Lou, but Lewis actually replied yesterday! 😊

Fab - thanks so much! I'll take a look.

It's quite freeing really.