Is Small Beautiful? Microhistory and the History of Everyday Life

Books reviewed in this article:
The History of Everyday Life. Reconstructing Historical Experiences and Ways of Life Edited by Alf Lüdtke, translated by William Templer
Jeux d'Échelles. La micro-analyse àl'expérience Edited by Jacques Revel     

Spatial Patterns of Annual July-June Rainfall Fluctuations in Tropical Queensland, 1900/01 to 1979/80

Annual July-June (rather than January-December) rainfall is considered for the first 80 years of this century Le. 1900/01 to 1979/80, for 24 stations with uninterrupted records in tropical Queensland The aim is to define and examine spatial patterns of rainfall fluctuations, both in terms of categories of annual rainfall patterns and regional units with roughly comparable annual rainfall fluctuations. The essential characteristics of the categories and regions, defined by principal components analysis and a classification algorithm, are illustrated in a variety of maps, based on different methods of analysis. Relationships between their annual rainfall values and seasonal values of sea-surface temperatures for the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are also examined The considerable degree of uniformity across tropical Queensland in terms of temporal rainfall fluctuations was counterbalanced by a variety of differences in detail that are organised on a regional basis.     

Homecoming or tourism? Diaspora tourism experience of second-generation immigrants

Diaspora tourism is often considered a form of ‘homecoming,’ but for the children of immigrants who are born in the new country, the question remains as to whether they perceive their parents’ homeland as ‘home’ or destination. Moreover, advancements in transportation and communication technologies allow contemporary immigrants to maintain transnational ties to their homeland, which in turn may affect the nature of diaspora tourism. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of second-generation immigrants when they travel to their ancestral homeland, and explore the extent to which second-generation transnationalism shapes their diaspora tourism experiences. Using a phenomenological approach, 26 second-generation Chinese-Americans who had the experience of traveling in China were interviewed. Four themes were identified from semi-structured interviews: language and appearance, search for authenticity, family history, and sense of ‘home.’ Proficiency in their parental language was found to be a main cause of negative experiences, yet occasionally a source of pride and attachment. Their search for authentic experiences was not unlike other tourists, while familial obligations sometimes limited their experience. Traveling back to the homeland not only allowed them to understand their parents and family history, but also reflect upon their life through experiencing contemporary China. Finally, as the transnational attachment of second-generation immigrants was not rooted in a specific locale, they could feel connected to the homeland without actually visiting their family's place of origin. Findings contribute to transnationalism and diaspora tourism literature by comparing first- and second-generation immigrants and identifying the difference between contemporary transmigrants and classic diaspora groups with regard to their diaspora tourism experience.