Allison Bigelow is Assistant Professor of colonial Latin American literature in the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese and affiliate faculty in Latin American Studies at the University of Virginia. From 2012 until 2014, she was a National Endowment for the Humanities postdoctoral fellow at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture at the College of William & Mary. Her current book project, Cultural Touchstones: Mining, Refining, and the Languages of Empire in the Early Americas, reflects her diverse research expertise, from her doctorate in English, to her postdoctoral fellowship at a history institute, and the fact that she is now part of the faculty of Romance Languages.
In episode 4 of History Hub’s new podcast series – ‘Kingdom, Empire and Plus Ultra: conversations on the history of Portugal and Spain, 1415-1898‘ – Professor Bigelow discusses the science of colonial silver with series host Dr Edward Collins.
‘The Science of Colonial Silver: Rethinking the History of Mining and Metallurgy in the Early Americas’ with Allison Bigelow
Slide show featuring images relevant to the podcast
This History Hub podcast series features interviews with experts in the areas of Portuguese and Spanish history, from the beginning of the Portuguese discoveries in 1415 to the end of Spanish dominion in America in 1898. The interviews, conducted by historian Dr. Edward Collins, cover a range of topics on the domestic and overseas histories of both nations, which include, among others: the Portuguese explorations of Africa and Asia, Spanish navigation and settlement in America, the church in Portugal and Spain, monarchy and intermarriage in the Iberian kingdoms, natural science and mapping in America, the role of nautical science, Irish historical relations with Portugal and Spain, and imperial competition in Europe and overseas. The interviewees comprise a number of established and renowned academics, as well as up-and-coming researchers from universities and institutions worldwide.
This History Hub series is funded by UCD Seed Funding and supported by UCD School of History. Series editor is Mike Liffey (Real Smart Media).
Download series episodes on iTunes or listen via Soundcloud. historyhub.ie/kingdom-empire-and-plus-ultra
Image: “Silver and Copper Works” by Peter Schmidtmeyer, from Travels into Chile (London, 1824), p. 272. JCB 69-206. http://jcb.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/s/l508x3
