The Middle Ground Journal: World History and Global Studies

10/06/2025

MGJ is pleased to announce the release of a new article on teaching by Dr. Sumiko Otsubo, "Underprepared but Overperformed: Explaining the Enigma in Study Abroad." Dr. Otsubo analyzes her experience helping develop and teach a study abroad course for Metro State University in Japan. The surprising results can help educators think about the role of experiential learning in courses.

Also, we are extra excited to release a reflection and paper created during the study abroad course in Japan by Alex Elbaz, "Politics, Protests, and Popular Culture: The Global Legacy of Akira Toriyama and His Dragon Ball." This paper explores the fascinating global dimensions of Japanese popular culture through the lens of Dragon Ball, even connecting it to Mexican culture. At the time of his trip to Japan, Alex was a Normandale Community College student going through Metro State's study abroad program.

Check out both professor and student takes on study abroad under the featured section:

Middle Ground Journal World History and Global Studies Featured Reviewed by Tanya GoyalJawaharlal Nehru University, IndiaRead review here Reviewed by Tanya GoyalJawaharlal Nehru University, IndiaRead review here Reviewed by Sergei AkopovFreie Universität Berlin, GermanyRead review here Book reviews...

30/05/2025

MGJ is pleased to announce a redesign of the website is available now. We are excited to see what our readers think about it, and we will be refining it throughout the summer. We welcome any and all feedback.

The majority of content is available on the new site, but we are still getting some "on teaching" articles up there. We are thinking of including this in the newly added "Historian's Corner" section.

https://www.middlegroundjournal.com/

Check back over the next week as we close out the Spring 2025 issue with an article on teaching study abroad and some additional reviews.

Middle Ground Journal World History and Global Studies Featured Reviewed by Tanya GoyalJawaharlal Nehru University, IndiaRead review here Reviewed by Tanya GoyalJawaharlal Nehru University, IndiaRead review here Reviewed by Sergei AkopovFreie Universität Berlin, GermanyRead review here Book reviews...

18/04/2025

Check it out readers! MGJ's second review of the Spring 2025 issue is now available to read.

Sergei Akopov's review of Anatoly Reshetnikov's Chasing Greatness: On Russia’s Discursive Interaction with the West over the Past Millennium. And even better, it is open access (see review for ISBN)!

AkopovReviewChasingGreatnessDownload Chasing Greatness: On Russia’s Discursive Interaction with the West over the Past Millennium. Anatoly Reshetnikov. University of Michigan Press, 2024. 272 pp. #…

09/04/2025

MGJ is happy to announce the first release of the Spring 2025 issue: Tanya Goyal's review of Julia Kristeva's Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia.

This issue we will have more interesting reviews and a great article on teaching.

If anyone is interested in doing book reviews or publishing an article, please reach out to us to discuss!

GoyalReviewBlackSunDownload Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia. Julia Kristeva, translated by Leon S. Roudiez. New York: Columbia University Press, 2024. 240 pp. $24. Paperback ISBN: 97802315615…

21/01/2025

Middle Ground Journal is pleased to announce its second article of the Fall/Winter 2024/2025 issue:

https://middlegroundjournal.com/2025/01/21/the-clash-of-trade-ideologies-revisiting-the-battle-of-liaoluo-bay-through-the-lens-of-hans-putmans-interpretation-of-vrijen-handel-and-the-ming-tributary-system/

The Clash of Trade Ideologies: Revisiting the Battle of Liaoluo Bay through the Lens of Hans Putmans’ Interpretation of Vrijen Handel and the Ming Tributary System

Abstract: This paper examines Hans Putmans’ interpretation of vrijen handel (free trade) within the framework of the Dutch East India Company, contrasting it with the Ming Empire’s tributary system. The study argues that Putmans’ concept of vrijen handel must be understood in the context of the early seventeenth century. Only through this historical lens can we fully grasp the ideological conflict between vrijen handel and the tributary system, as well as its role in precipitating the Battle of Liaoluo Bay in 1633. The significance of this research lies in its potential to reshape our understanding of early modern trade interactions, offering new insights into how ideological conflicts shape trade practices and historical events. By analyzing these interactions, the study deepens our comprehension of VOC-Ming trade relations within the broader context of colonial expansion.

10/01/2025

The Middle Ground Journal is excited to kick off 2025 with its article of the Fall 2024/Winter 2025 Issue. We are excited to announce some updates in the coming months such as a new website and some new areas for submission. We are always interested in article submissions, so if you have a piece in mind, please reach out to us at [email protected]

We are also interested in book reviews - we will be updating our list of books we would like to see reviewed, but if there is a book you would like to review, please reach out.

Our first article this issue is:

Pursuing the Global in a Local Setting: Particularistic Silences in the Teaching, Deconstructing, Researching, and Writing of Asian History by Yang Huei PANG, Senior Lecturer, Singapore University of Technology and Design

Abstract: This essay draws on Michel-Rolph Trouillot’s idea of “silencing the Past” to explore three historical episodes and their implications for teaching history. Firstly, it critiques William Bundy’s biased Cold War account of the Vietnam War, revealing the author’s political agenda and its impact on historical interpretation. Secondly, it reflects on the complexities of conducting oral history of survivors of the Second World War, considering both personal experiences and potential state agendas. Lastly, it examines British imperialism through a local lens, highlighting present-day concerns in a modern metropolis. These episodes illustrate the interconnectedness of global and local history in the classroom, prompting questions about narrative construction, counter narratives, and pedagogical approaches. By delving into these topics, this essay aims to enrich the teaching of Asian history, particularly in the context of Singapore.

“Historians depend on authorities’ categorizations and frames of reference, but they must not accept these without thoroughly examining and questioning them. Without critically reading govern…

10/05/2024

Here's the TOC for Issue 27 (Spring 2024)

Articles
Special Issue Articles on “Crisis and Recovery,” the theme for the Midwest World History Association’s 2021 conference.

Holley-Griffith, Bethany. “Funding Democracy: Examining the Role of Research in Universities During the Cold War.” The Middle Ground Journal, no. 27 (Spring 2024): 13-22. https://middlegroundjournal.com/2024/04/12/funding-democracy-examining-the-role-of-research-in-universities-during-the-cold-war/.

Majumder, Nabanipa. “Reevaluating the Taiwan Strait Crisis in the Cold War Asia.” The Middle Ground Journal, no. 27 (Spring 2024): 23-35. https://middlegroundjournal.com/2024/04/19/the-first-and-second-taiwan-strait-crises-in-cold-war-asia-an-overview/.

Rahman, Gazi. “Modern World History and Colonial Records: Some Challenges in Reconstructing the Historical Migration.” The Middle Ground Journal, no. 27 (Spring 2024): 36-56. https://middlegroundjournal.com/2024/04/26/south-asian-migration-and-colonial-records-some-challenges-in-reconstructing-the-bengali-historical-migration/.

Book Reviews
Goldstein-Sabbah, Sasha. Review of Years of Glory: Nelly Benatar and the Pursuit of Justice in Wartime North Africa by Susan Gilson Miller. The Middle Ground Journal, no. 27 (Spring 2024): 1-2. https://middlegroundjournal.com/review-of-years-of-glory-by-susan-gilson-miller.

Heidbrink, Ingo. Review of Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad edited by Timothy D. Walker. The Middle Ground Journal, no. 27 (Spring 2024): 3-4. https://middlegroundjournal.com/2024/02/09/review-of-sailing-to-freedom-edited-by-timothy-d-walker/.

Patton, Cody R. Review of Food in World History by Jeffrey M. Pilcher. The Middle Ground Journal, no. 27 (Spring 2024): 5-6. https://middlegroundjournal.com/2024/03/01/review-of-food-in-world-history-by-jeffrey-m-pilcher/.

Richardson, Kim. Review of Hungary Between Two Empires: 1526-1711 by Geza Palffy. The Middle Ground Journal, no. 27 (Spring 2024): 7-8. https://middlegroundjournal.com/2024/03/15/review-of-hungary-between-two-empires-1526-1711-by-geza-palffy/.

Brose, Michael C. Review of An Object of Seduction: Chinese Silk in the Early Modern Transpacific Trade, 1500-1700 by Xiaolin Duan. The Middle Ground Journal, no. 27 (Spring 2024): 9-10. https://middlegroundjournal.com/2024/03/22/review-of-an-object-of-seduction-by-xiaolin-duan/.

Younger, W. Cole. Review of Art of the Grimoire: An Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells by Owen Davies. The Middle Ground Journal, no. 27 (Spring 2024): 11-12. https://middlegroundjournal.com/2024/04/05/review-of-art-of-the-grimoire-by-owen-davies/.

10/05/2024

sargentopiumarticlesspring2014themiddlegroundjournal.org_Download "The Big Loaf and the First O***m War: Free Trade and Domestic Politics in the British Empire, 1813-1846" by Colin Sargent, Graduate Student, Northeastern University, Boston, MA © 2014 The Middle Ground Journal (ISSN: 2155-1103) Number 8, Spring 2014 See Submission Guidelines page for the journal's not-for-profit educational open-access policy.

sargentopiumarticlesspring2014themiddlegroundjournal.org_Download “The Big Loaf and the First O***m War: Free Trade and Domestic Politics in the British Empire, 1813-1846” by Colin Sarg…

10/05/2024

“Historians depend on authorities’ categorizations and frames of reference, but they must not accept these without thoroughly examining and questioning them. Without critically reading govern…

26/04/2024

"Historians depend on authorities’ categorizations and frames of reference, but they must not accept these without thoroughly examining and questioning them. Without critically reading government census reports, using these statistics is problematic in writing migration history."

“Historians depend on authorities’ categorizations and frames of reference, but they must not accept these without thoroughly examining and questioning them. Without critically reading govern…

26/04/2024

"the US government made presumptuous miscalculations, believing that they could transform Taiwan into a strong base to counteract communism....examining the protracted conflict in the Taiwan Strait during the 1950s to the 1960s, this paper analyzes the potential for the conflict in the region to escalate to a nuclear level."...

“the US government made presumptuous miscalculations, believing that they could transform Taiwan into a strong base to counteract communism….examining the protracted conflict in the Tai…

12/04/2024

The first of three articles for our special issue on "Crisis and Recovery," which was the theme for the Midwest World History Association’s 2021 conference.

“Research universities have been essential in preserving power for the US throughout the Cold War.”