Skip Navigation
Falvey Library
Advanced
You are exploring: Home > Blogs

Mamma Mia! Stop by Falvey Library’s Stress Bustin’ Open House


Mamma mia! Have finals hit you like a ton of bricks? Stop by Falvey Library’s Annual Stress Busting Open House in Speakers’ Corner on Thursday, Dec. 7 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (or until supplies last). Enjoy some SUPER refreshments and relax with Mario Universe video games and activities. We hope to see you Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches people there! This event, sponsored by Falvey Library, is free and open to the Villanova community. Wowie Zowie, Wildcats—You got this (and Falvey Library is here to help)—Good luck on finals!


 


Like

Join Falvey Library for an Exciting lineup of Geography Awareness Week Events


Geography Awareness Week begins Monday, Nov. 13. Established by a presidential proclamation more than 25 years ago, National Geographic created the annual public awareness program to demonstrate the importance of geography. From National Geographic: too many people are “unable to make effective decisions, understand geo-spatial issues, or even recognize their impacts as global citizens.” Aiming to raise awareness of these issues, more than 10,000 Americans participate in Geography Awareness Week annually. Join Falvey Library’s Digital Scholarship Lab and the Department of Geography and Environment for an exciting lineup of Geography Awareness Week events. Check out the full list of events below.

GEOGRAPHY AWARENESS WEEK: NOVEMBER 13-17, 2023

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13

GlobePlotters Meeting

6:30-7:30 p.m.; Location: Mendel G83

Join the Villanova GlobePlotters, a student chapter of YouthMappers, for a night of using GIS technology for humanitarian aid mapping projects around the world. No GIS or mapping experience is required! We’ll show you how to get started with mapping.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14

Open House: Geography Virtual Reality exhibit in the CAVE

2-3 p.m.; Location: Old Falvey, Room 203

Come join us at the Villanova Virtual Reality CAVE located on the Mendel Field side of Old Falvey in Room 203. CEET software developer Andrew Grace will host a variety of visualizations produced by Geography staff and students. Visualizations will include 3D models of our beautiful campus captured by drones, immersive 360 panoramas, and much more!

Open House: Falvey Library Map Collections Tour

3-4 p.m.; Location: Falvey Library 205

Peruse georeferenced maps and highlights from The John F. Smith, III and Susan B. Smith Antique Map Collection and other map holdings from Falvey Library’s Distinctive Collections. Rebecca Oviedo, Distinctive Collections Archivist, will show a selection of historic items from early printed maps of the 16th and 17th centuries, 19th century local real estate atlases, to 20th century military maps, and Erica Hayes, Digital Scholarship Librarian, will show some georeferenced historical maps of Villanova’s campus.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15

Policy Map for Practical Purposes

12-1 p.m.; Location: Zoom

Introduction and practical insights to using Policy Map, the interactive mapping and analytics platform that brings together a data warehouse of 21st century Census and policy material from over 50,000 current governmental, proprietary, and open resource agency indicators. No technical skills are required to make understandable data visualizations or reports from information across multiple siloed agencies.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16

GEV Colloquium Speaker: Jon C. Malinowski

“Ghosts in the Landscape: The Challenges of Creating a Historical Atlas”

5:30-6:30 p.m.; Location: Mendel 154

Dr. Jon Malinowski, Professor of Geography at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, will discuss the rewards and pitfalls of bringing historical geography research to a wider audience. In 2022, Dr. Malinowski self-published The West Point Landscape: 1802-1830 and is currently revising and expanding the book for the West Point Press. He will address archival and less obvious data sources, technical obstacles, and the pitfalls and revelations of a multi-year project. This talk is co-sponsored by GTU (Gamma Theta Upsilon), the international honor society in geography.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17

Geospatial Career Panel

12:30-2 p.m.; Location: Mendel G60 Classroom

Come meet geospatial professionals and learn about the many applications of GIS in your career. Panelists will discuss their own career paths, tips for GIS jobseekers, and more. Please come prepared with your own questions for the panelists!

Geography Trivia 

2:30-3:30pm; Location: Mendel G60

Break out that map knowledge and join us for an afternoon of pub-style geography trivia hosted by the GEV Student Association! Teams of 2-4 people can register using the form on the GeoWeek website. Snacks will be provided, and prizes will be awarded to the top-scoring team.

ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS

Alumni Blog Posts

Catch up with GEV alumni during Geography Awareness Week by reading short blog posts about how geography has been woven into their lives and careers. Hosted on the Falvey Library Blog.

Geography Student Poster Display

Stop by Falvey Library room 205, the Digital Scholarship Lab Lab in Room 218A (9 a.m.- 3:00 p.m., Monday-Friday), and the GEV suite hallway near G61 on the ground floor of Mendel to learn about the latest undergraduate and graduate research at Villanova.


Like

The Annual Senghor-Damas-Césaire Lecture featuring Wale Adebanwi, PhD


Please join us on Thursday, Nov. 2, from 5-6:30 p.m. in Villanova University’s Falvey Library for the annual Senghor-Damas-Césaire Lecture for Africana Studies, which focuses on African issues and issues connected to the global Black diaspora. ⁠

Wale Adebanwi, PhD, Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies, Director, Center for Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania, will be speaking about the politics of renaming apartheid-era streets and removing apartheid and colonial-era monuments from public spaces in contemporary South Africa. The talk will take place in the Library’s Speakers’ Corner on the first floor. ⁠

This Africana Studies event is ACS-approved and is co-sponsored by Falvey Library and the Departments of Political Science and Global Interdisciplinary Studies. Light refreshments will be served.


 


Like

Leticia Robles-Moreno Theatre Talk: 10/26


In honor of Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month 2023, please join us on Thursday, Oct. 26 from 4-5:30 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner for a talk by Leticia Robles-Moreno, PhD, titled “Peruvian Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani: Weaving Shared Memory Landscapes through Theatre & Performance.”

Theatre and performance, as corporeal artistic expressions, acquire a transformative potential in times of political turmoil when violence, torture, and disappearance target bodies marked as disposable. Yuyachkani, the legendary Peruvian theatre collective that has worked together for over 50 years, continues to ask a question relevant for artists, academics, and activists alike: how can an absent body be made visible? This talk will reflect upon this question, and the labor of collective memory and resistance in Latin America.

Leticia Robles-Moreno is Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance at Muhlenberg College. Her research is focused on how theatre groups of “creación colectiva,” as well as artivist collectives in the Americas, generate alternative political subjectivities, communities, and spaces of belonging in times of socio-political unrest. Her book project Living After Death: Performance, Decay, and Collective Survival in the Americas analyzes the political aesthetics of theatre, art, and activism, as modes of anti-neoliberal and intersectional bodily coexistence.

This ACS-approved event, sponsored by Falvey Library, the Department of Spanish, and the Latin American Studies Program, is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.


 


Like

Join Us on Halloween for “Trick and Treats from the Vault”


Join Falvey Library’s Distinctive Collections and Digital Engagement staff for “Tricks and Treats from the Vault” on Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 12-2 p.m. Visitors can view spooky highlights from the collections in Speakers’ Corner and enjoy ghostly activities and treats. We’ll have tarot readings, ink blocking, and a haunted Villanova map. This event, sponsored by Falvey Library, is free and open to the public.


 


Like

Cultural Studies Food Matters Week: October 17-19


Enhance your palate and your mind during the annual Cultural Studies Food Matters Week featuring tastings and talks on food justice around the world. Faculty, staff, students, and friends are invited to join us to learn more about food and social justice and sample delicious cuisine! These ACS-approved events, co-sponsored by the Cultural Studies Program and Falvey Library, are free and open to the public.

Events begin at 6 p.m. in Falvey Library’s room 205.

Tuesday, Oct. 17 

Philadelphia-based chef and activist Kurt Evans will be joining us to talk about how he uses food as a vehicle to talk about issues concerning mass incarceration and systematic racism. You can learn more about Chef Kurt’s work here.

Wednesday, Oct. 18 

Eemon Ghasemiyeh, activist and educator at New Roots Institute (formerly Factory Farming Awareness Coalition), will be joining us to talk about the conditions animals are raised in, the environmental impacts, and actions to create a more just food system. You can learn more about Eemon Ghasemiyeh’s work here.

Thursday, Oct. 19 

Join us for a talk by Arielle Ashford, chef and co-founder of Unity Taqueria, which is dedicated to serving up the best Tex-Mex tacos, burritos, nachos, and queso you’ve ever had, while investing in the community and people living in recovery and those returning from the justice system. Unity Taqueria is part of a family of community-driven businesses and organizations, including Unity Yoga and Unity Recovery in Manayunk. You can learn more about Unity Taqueria here.


 

 

 


Like

Backpack to Briefcase: Business Research Sessions—Oct. 23, Dec. 4, and Dec. 6

Join Linda Hauck, Business Librarian, Falvey Library, for a Backpack to Briefcase: Business Research session. Competitive Intelligence involves gathering, analyzing, and acting on data that impact an organization’s future success. This introductory research session will focus on how to gather public information across multiple sources about competitors and industries. CI allows organizations to make better decisions, see opportunities and avoid pitfalls. Knowing how to gather information is the first step.

Bring your laptop and an appetite to flex your CI skills and enjoy free pizza!

The workshop will be offered on the following dates:

•    Monday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m., Falvey Library, Room 206: REGISTER HERE
•    Monday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m., Falvey Library, Room 205: REGISTER HERE
•    Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 5 p.m., Falvey Library, Room 205: REGISTER HERE


Like

Scholarship@Villanova Event Featuring Olukunle P. Owolabi, PhD

Olukunle P. Owolabi, PhD, headshot.


Please join us on Tuesday, September 26 from 5-6:30 p.m. in Villanova University’s Falvey Library for a Scholarship@Villanova event featuring Olukunle P. Owolabi, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science and Global Interdisciplinary Studies and Director of Africana Studies. The event will celebrate Dr. Owolabi’s recently published book, Ruling Emancipated Slaves and Indigenous Subjects: The Divergent Legacies of Forced Settlement and Colonial Occupation in the Global South and will be held in the Library’s Speakers’ Corner space on the first floor. In person attendance is encouraged; however, attendees can also view the event via livestream here.

In his book, Dr. Owolabi examines why forced settlement colonies, where European colonists established agricultural plantations with imported and enslaved African labor, tend to outperform continental African states on key indicators of educational attainment, human well-being, and postcolonial democratization.  His argument highlights the impact of legal-administrative reforms that expanded the legal rights and political agency of emancipated Afro-descendants in forced settlement colonies, in contrast to the ‘native legal codes’ that restricted the legal rights and political agency of indigenous black populations that were colonized after the abolition of slavery in the New World.

This ACS-approved event, co-sponsored by Falvey Library, Department of Political Science, Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest, is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Following the talk there will be a book sale and signing.

See our interview with Dr. Owolabi, below, to learn more about his book and which topics he will delve deeper into during the event.


Describe your book, Ruling Emancipated Slaves and Indigenous Subjects: The Divergent Legacies of Forced Settlement and Colonial Occupation in the Global South.

Ruling Emancipated Slaves and Indigenous Subjects examines the varied developmental legacies of European colonization for enslaved Africans and their descendants in the New World, and for indigenous black populations in continental Africa. Specifically, the book seeks to explain a historical paradox: i.e. why forced settlement colonies, where European colonists established large-scale agricultural plantations with enslaved and imported African labor, tend to outperform areas of the world where Europeans exploited the land, labor, and resources of indigenous non-white populations on key indicators of human well-being and postcolonial democratization. This book explains this paradox by contrasting the harsh, arbitrary, and often despotic legal codes that Europeans used to control indigenous colonial subjects with the liberal reforms that expanded the legal rights and political agency of emancipated Afro-descendants following the abolition of slavery in the New World. Spanning three centuries of colonial history and postcolonial development, this is the first book to systematically examine the distinctive patterns of state-building that resulted from forced settlement and colonial occupation in the Black Atlantic world.

What inspired you to write Ruling Emancipated Slaves and Indigenous Subjects?

I was inspired to write this book because I needed to make sense of childhood memories and experiences in different parts of the world that have been impacted by British colonization. My parents immigrated to Canada from Nigeria and Trinidad during the 1960s, and my early childhood education, socialization, and political awareness were profoundly impacted by each of these environments.  When I was four years old, my family moved from Canada to Nigeria, when my Nigerian father, a Canadian-trained medical doctor, returned to his home country to establish a hospital with one of his childhood friends. My first political memories included the forced deportation of foreign migrant workers from Nigeria in 1983 and 1985, and the two military coups that took place on New Years Eve 1983 and August 27, 1985. I have very different (and far less traumatic) political memories from my mother’s home country, Trinidad & Tobago, where we spent several summers during my childhood and adolescence. It was very clear to me, even as a young child, that Trinidad was more politically stable than Nigeria. Moreover, Trinidad’s living standards were much higher than Nigeria’s, its population was better educated, and its infrastructure was more effective: everything from water provision, to electricity, to the school and road networks seemed more effective in Trinidad relative to Nigeria. My childhood observations, and the very different lived experiences of my extended family in Nigeria and Trinidad & Tobago did not fit very well with the leading theories of development are typically emphasized by economists and social scientists. Consequently, I needed to write a book that explained why forced settlement colonies like Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, and Jamaica, have been able to escape the more extreme developmental and political challenges that have plagued postcolonial African states like Angola, Nigeria, or Uganda.

What is the most surprising thing you learned in the writing/research process?

Some of what I learned from writing this book was very surprising, but what was most impactful were the things that helped me to make sense of my childhood experiences, and the ways in which British colonialism had impacted the lives, education, upbringing and social values of my parents and grandparents. The most impactful thing that I learned from researching/writing this book is that European colonization generated very different patterns of state-building for forced settlement colonies vs. colonies of occupation. I was also surprised to learn the extent to which the trans-Atlantic slave trade contributed to the rise of capitalism in the Atlantic world, and the extent to which the abolition of slavery is connected to the expansion of democracy and citizenship rights in Western European countries like Britain and France. In researching this book, I came to understand that history is typically taught in ways that separate the political achievements of Western European countries from the brutality of their colonial past.  Lastly, I was surprised to learn about the extensive role of Christian missionaries and church leaders, both black and white, in advancing anti-slavery activism, empowering freed slaves, and establishing denominational schools that educated “Liberated Africans” and emancipated Afro-descendants in the New World. This helped me to make sense of the surprisingly positive regard in which Christian churches, schools and institutions are held (by Christians and non-Christians alike), in many postcolonial African and Caribbean societies.

Why do you think it’s important for people to read this book?

It’s important for people to read this book because most countries in the world have been impacted by European colonialism in some way or another. At the same time, Western/European history is frequently taught in ways that disassociate the rise of Western powers like Britian, France, and the United States from their imperialistic exploitation of Global South populations. Consequently, one of the goals of this book is to re-establish the historical connections between colonial exploitation and the geo-political ascendancy of Western European countries like Britain and France.

The second main goal of this book is to emphasize the very uneven developmental legacies of colonialism in different parts of the world, and within individual countries. For example, British colonization in the United States had very different consequences for white colonial settlers, “Native Americans” and enslaved Africans and their descendants. The same is true in other parts of the world, where colonial states and institutions benefited white colonial settlers and their descendants at the expense of non-white populations. Colonial state policies also tended to benefit non-indigenous laborers (including emancipated Afro-descendants and the descendants of Chinese and Indian indentured laborers) relative to indigenous non-white populations. The first consequence of colonialism is well-known, but the second one is less strongly emphasized in existing literature. Consequently, this book helps to shed light on the varied developmental legacies of colonial state-building across the Black Atlantic world.

Do you recommend any other books/articles for further exploration on topics highlighted in your book?

Fortunately, we are living in a historical moment in which many scholars, from diverse intellectual and ethnic backgrounds, are reconsidering the long-term developmental legacies of colonialism in the Global South. Consequently, there are many excellent books that address the long-term developmental consequences of colonialism, slavery, and abolition in the Black Atlantic world. These books include Kris Manjapra (2019), Colonialism in Global Perspective; Kris Manjapra (2022), Black Ghost of Empire; and Padraic X. Scanlan (2022), Slave Empire: How Slavery Built Modern Britain.  Other books examine the developmental legacies of British and US imperialism, and the surprisingly varied developmental legacies of British and Spanish colonialism in different parts of the world. These include Matthew Lange (2009), Lineages of Despotism and Development: British Colonialism and State Power; and James Mahoney (2010), Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish America in Comparative Perspective; and Atul Kohli (2019), Imperialism and the Developing World: How Britain and the United States Shaped the Global Periphery.  What I like about these books is that they successfully explain the variety of developmental trajectories experienced by different postcolonial states, rather than ‘moralizing’ about colonialism, or painting the diverse colonial experiences of different countries with a single, broad brush.

Is there anything else you want readers/audiences to know about your work?

This was a challenging book for me to research and write for both personal and professional reasons.  The subject matter of this book affected me deeply, and it was often emotionally difficult for me to process the variety of ways that Global South populations have been exploited by European colonization and neo-colonial exploitation.  Nevertheless, I hope my book is enlightening to readers with a family connections to the Black Atlantic world, and I hope it opens up new conversations and debates about long-term consequences of colonialism, slavery, and abolition.


 

 

Kallie Stahl is a Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.

 

 


 


Like

Master the Art and Business of Web Comics with Professional Cartoonist Brad Guigar

Event poster for Brad Guigar's talk.


Attention all graphic novel and comic book fans! You are cordially invited to join us for our inaugural event celebrating comics, graphic novels, and sequential art on Wednesday, Sept. 27, from 6-7 p.m. at Villanova University’s Falvey Library. The event will feature professional cartoonist Brad Guigar and will be held in Speakers’ Corner on the Library’s first floor.

In 2000, webcomics grew out of dissatisfaction with gatekeepers (publishers and syndicates) and led to a new generation of creator-entrepreneurs who taught themselves about art AND business — and are currently finding a financially stable career in a climate in which “published” artists are struggling. What used to be known as “vanity press” is now offering a superior outcome for many creative professionals. Furthermore, it opened the door for marginalized voices that had previously been ignored by corporate gatekeepers.

Brad Guigar is considered by many to be an independent comics pioneer, having published his daily comic strips and other comics on the Web for over 20 years. His most well-known comic, “Evil Inc.,” is about supervillains who realized that most of their evil schemes could be enacted legally if they formed a corporation.

He has published over two dozen collections of his comics, and he is the author of three books on the subject of cartooning. The Everything Cartooning Book is an all-ages cartooning tutorial. Both How To Make Webcomics and The Webcomics Handbook break down the business of self-publishing comics using social media and crowdfunding strategies.

Guigar has been nominated for the Eisner Award in comics, as well as the ’Ringo Award and the NCS Silver Rueben. He co-hosts a weekly podcast, ComicLab, which has been described as “Car Talk for cartoons,” which will be entering its seventh year in January. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two sons.

This event, co-sponsored by Falvey Library, the Idea Lab, Department of English, Creative Writing Program, Department of Communication, and the Writing Center, is free and open to all! Light refreshments will be served. Join us!


 


Like

Dig Deeper: Three Irish Poets on Sustainability


Please join us for readings from three acclaimed Irish poets, Jane Clarke, Katie Donovan, and Catherine Phil MacCarthy on Monday, Sept. 25, from 5-6:30 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner. This event, titled “Wonders and Realities: Three Irish Poets on Sustainability,” will explore how poetry helps us fine-tune our senses and pay attention to the wonders and realities of our threatened world.

Dig deeper and explore the links below for more information on the featured poets.

Jane Clarke grew up in County Roscommon, Ireland. She is the author of three poetry collections: The River, When the Tree Falls, and A Change in the Air. The latter is shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection 2023. When the Tree Falls was shortlisted for the Pigott Prize 2020, the Irish Times Poetry Now Award 2020, and the Farmgate Café National Poetry Award in 2020.

Katie Donovan was born near Camolin in County Wexford, Ireland and earned degrees from Trinity College Dublin as well as the University of California at Berkeley. Her five books of poetry have all been published by Bloodaxe Books. Her most recent, Off-Duty appeared in September 2016. It was shortlisted for the Irish Times/Poetry Now Prize in 2017. She is the 2017 recipient of the O’Shaughnessy Award for Irish Poetry.

Catherine Phil MacCarthy was born in County Limerick, Ireland. The author of five poetry collections, she studied at University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, and Central School of Speech and Drama, London. She is the 2014 winner of the O’Shaughnessy Award for Irish Poetry. The Arts Council, An Comhairle Ealaíon, have awarded her a Bursary in Literature towards each of her 2013 and 2020 poetry collections.

This ACS-approved event, co-sponsored by the Center for Irish Studies, Falvey Library, and Global Interdisciplinary Studies, is free and open to the public.


Julia Wagner ‘26 CLAS is a Communication major from New Hampshire (Go Patriots!). She works as a Communication & Marketing Student Assistant at Falvey Library. Links provided by Kallie Stahl, Communication & Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. 

 

 

 


 


Like

Next Page »

 


Last Modified: September 18, 2023

Ask Us: Live Chat
Back to Top