When ethnomusicologist, composer, and CSUDH Professor of Music Jonathon Grasse first started traveling to Brazil 30 years ago, he had no intention of becoming a historian of the country’s music—he was simply exploring the country with his Brazilian wife. Before long, though, he became fascinated by the nation’s diverse regional musical heritages, adapting his research and writing to teach a course on Brazilian music at UCLA, where he earned his doctorate. Eventually, his focus narrowed to the region that his wife hails from: Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil that is deeply connected to the nation’s slave past and home to many traditions related to the African diaspora. Grasse’s ... Read More
History
Graduating Class of 2022 Scholars Share Reflections of CSUDH
The Class of 2022 has navigated more than their fair share of trials and challenges on their road to commencement. Below, graduates from the CSUDH Presidential Scholars, McNair Scholars, and Toro Guardian Scholars programs share their thoughts on their student experience at the university, inspirational faculty members, future plans—and what makes being a Toro so special. Angela Costes, Presidential Scholars Program (BS, Kinesiology) What have you valued most from your college education? I valued the opportunities and support I’ve received from DH. I wasn’t born in the U.S., and am very much aware of the struggles and lack of support that many students in the Philippines face. ... Read More
Mary Lacanlale Wins 2022 Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award
In 2021, Assistant Professor of Asian-Pacific Studies Mary Talusan Lacanlale saw two long-term projects that examine Philippine history through a musical lens come to fruition. Her book Instruments of Empire: Filipino Musicians, Black Soldiers, and Military Band Music during U.S. Colonization of the Philippines was published in August. That same month also saw the release of a CD she co-produced for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Kulintang Kultura: Danongan Kalanduyan & Gong Music of the Philippine Diaspora. In recognition of Lacanlale’s scholarship and creative projects, she is receiving the 2022 Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award. The award ... Read More
CSUDH Professor Wins Prestigious NEH Award
CSUDH Professor of History Bianca Murillo has received a 2022 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellowship through the Awards for Faculty program for her next book, Financing Africa’s Future: A Socio-Economic History of Ghana, 1950-1980. The highly competitive NEH faculty awards support advanced humanities research by scholars at Historically Black Colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. A total of 25 grants were awarded nationally. This is Murillo’s second major project involving Ghana—her first book, Market Encounters: Consumer Cultures in Twentieth-Century Ghana was published in 2017. That book traced the evolution of consumerism in the ... Read More
CSUDH Professor’s New Book Explores a Filipino Military Band’s Connection to U.S. Colonialism and Her Own Family History
In her new book, Instruments of Empire: Filipino Musicians, Black Soldiers, and Military Band Music during U.S. Colonization of the Philippines, CSUDH Assistant Professor of Asian-Pacific Studies Mary Talusan Lacanlale doesn’t just reveal the hidden history of the Philippine Constabulary Band—she uncovers some of her own family history, as well. The Philippine Constabulary Band, a group of Filipino musicians originally formed in 1902, toured the world for several decades to great acclaim, but they also helped to convince audiences that the American colonization of the Philippines was worthwhile and just. The band dissolved at the outset of World War II, and its history was all but ... Read More
