Casa do Fernandez or Ilojo Bar was a National Monument in the heart of Lagos Island, Nigeria. It was built by the returnees who came back from Brazil to Africa, the homeland that the Transatlantic...Show moreCasa do Fernandez or Ilojo Bar was a National Monument in the heart of Lagos Island, Nigeria. It was built by the returnees who came back from Brazil to Africa, the homeland that the Transatlantic Slave Trade had taken their forefathers away from. Although it was a National Monument and should have been protected under Nigerian heritage law, it was illegally demolished on 11 September 2016. How could this prime example of Brazilian-style architecture have been destroyed in broad daylight? This thesis uses Casa do Fernandez as a case study to explore the challenges of preserving built heritage in Nigeria. In the process, it tries to figure out why there is so little knowledge about the history of a building declared a National Monument over sixty years ago. The story of the monument turns out to be different than always assumed. After researching the building’s history, the focus is turned to heritage: the way the present interacts with the past. Could the way Casa do Fernandez has been defined as heritage have something to do with its sad end? The thesis argues that the rigid definition of Casa do Fernandez as strictly Afro-Brazilian heritage detached the site of its cultural meaning to other groups in society and sowed the seeds of the eventual demise of the National Monument. It is a plea for a wider and more inclusive interpretation of this heritage-site in particular and of heritage in general.Show less
Ever since Oscar Jászi’s thesis on opposing centripetal versus centrifugal forces within the Austro-Hungarian empire, historians have perceived developments within the Dual Monarchy through a...Show moreEver since Oscar Jászi’s thesis on opposing centripetal versus centrifugal forces within the Austro-Hungarian empire, historians have perceived developments within the Dual Monarchy through a dichotomous lens without questioning this assumed mutual exclusivity. This has led to singular interpretations of imperial loyalty, Kaisertreue, as a purely centripetal, read imperial, force. While new studies have shown that the opposition between nationalism and imperial identity is much more complex and that in some cases they could be compatible and even mutually supportive, this has not led to a new interpretation of Kaisertreue. Through an analysis of the promotion of Kaisertreue during two imperial visits to Galicia in 1880 and 1894, this thesis argues that the ruling Polish conservatives nationalised dynastic loyalty in order to support their nationalist visions and policies for Galicia, while at the same time the Habsburg Court continued to promote an anational Kaisertreue based on the equality of all nations, languages, and cultures. This reinterpretation helps historians to better understand the complexities of imperial-nationalist dynamics and therefore offer better explanations of developments within Austria-Hungary.Show less
