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William Spires
Instructor,
Emeritus 1674
Telephone: (707) 527-4455 |
Please contact me by meeting with me in person before or after class, or on an office hour. I generally do not deal with routine academic matters via telephone or email. These channels should be reserved for genuine emergencies.Classes
Section 4972 of HIST 17.2: U.S. History from 1877 -- Spring 2012: JAN 17 - MAY 17 Section 8244 of HIST 18.2: History of Women in the United States Since 1877 -- Spring 2012: Jan 18 - May 16 Education
Master's Thesis: "To Convey the Small Pox to the Indians:" An Historical Controversy Re-examined." 1988. Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude and With Distinction in Anthropology, California State University, Sonoma. Senior Thesis, (based on fieldwork): "Tarahumara Violins and Violinists of Mexico's Sierra Madre."
Academic Experience
ANTHROPOLOGY Cultural Anthropology Introduction to American Folklore and Folklife Cajun and Creole Folk Music Introduction to Folklore Magic, Witchcraft and Healing Folklore, Magic and Healing Corridos y Canciones: Survey of Mexican folk and Vernacular Music Native American Cultures HISTORY History of Mexico United States History to 1877 United States History 1877 to Present History of World Civilization to 1500 History of Western Civilization to 1678 History of Western Civilization from 1678 History of Women and Social Change Race, Ethnicity and Gender in American Culture ETHNIC STUDIES African American History to 1837 African Amerian History 1837 to Present
Work and Consulting Experience
2006: Invited Reviewer, Oxford University Press 1994-Present Adjunct Instructor of Anthropology and History, Schools of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Santa Rosa Junior College. 2000-Present Adjunct Instructor of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies, Schools of Behavioral and Social Sciences, College of Marin. 1995-2000 Special Exhibit Curator, African American Museum and Library at Oakland. Project: curation of "Holding the Fort," a traveling exhibit on African American history and life in West Oakland. April 1993 to 1996: Historical Researcher, Anthropological Studies Center, Sonoma State University. 1986-1993 Instructional Aide, Santa Rosa Junior College. (Departments of Anthropology, Communications Studies, and Political Science.) 1967-1992 Teacher and performer of traditional music in following areas of specialization: Cajun, Mexican, Native American (Tarahumara), and Anglo-American. Extensive national experience in folk music residencies, concerts, festivals and lectures. ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK AND ORAL HISTORY Independent participant-observation study of folklife and folklore in Southwestern Louisianna, (1976-1985) and of Rarámuri (Tarahumara) and Norteño folk music and vernacular architecture in Chihuahua, México (1980-1993). This work has yielded over seventy hours of tape recordings, oral history, and fifty rolls of slide and still photographs: much of these data have been returned to their communities of origin. GRANTS RECEIVED 1976 National Endowment for the Arts Apprentice Fellowship for oral history and repertoire study with Cajun master fiddler Dennis McGee. This study was part of fieldwork conducted over a 12-year period in Southwestern Louisianna which was also generously supported by the local community of folk artists in Evangeline Parish.
Professional Areas of Interest
American and European history Cultural Anthropology Folk and Traditional Music of North America and Mexico Vernacular Architecture Tarahumara (Rarámuri) Expressive Culture Cajun and Creole traditions of Southwestern Louisianna African American labor history Oral History Historical Archaeology Cultural Resources Management Slavery and Trafficking Bonsai Indonesian Musical Traditions (Flores, Sumba and Alor)
Presentations and Publications
2007. "Listening to the Voices of the Dust Bowl: Music from the Todd - Sonkin Collection. [SOcial Scince Roundtable Living New Deal" Series. 2003 Wood, Skin and Strings: Musical Instruments of the Lute Family. Jesse Peter Museum, Santa Rosa Junior College. September 30- December 17, 2003. 2002. [September] "Stringed Instruments of the from Africa, Asia and the Americas." Exhibit of artifacts and photographs at Plover Library, Santa Rosa Junior College. (Catalog in preparation). 2002. "Kate Chopin's Nights in Acadie." Work of Literary Merit Lecture, Santa Rosa Junior College 1998. Contributions to Encyclopædia Of Vernacular Architecture of the World, Paul Oliver, Editor. Columbia University Press, London and New York . 1998b. Invited Address at C.L.Dellums Memorial Statue Unveiling, Oakland, California. 1998c Holding the Fort: The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in West Oakland. Produced for the African American Museum and Library at Oakland, . A traveling version of this exhibit was shown at over two dozen museums and libraries in California. 1995. "The Quest for Dad Moore: Theme, Place, and the Individual in Historical Archæology." Presented to Society for California Archæology Anual Meeting, April 1995. Eureka. 1994."The Career and Contributions of C.L. Dellums: A Labor and Civil Rights Pioneer of Oakland, Califonia," in Mary Praetzellis,West Oakland; A Place to Start From: Research Design for Historical Archaeology Cypress I 880 Replacement. Anthropological Studies Center, Sonoma State University. 1988.Cajun Music: A Portrait of a People by Ann Allen Savoy. Review in Western Folklore. 1986. "Notes on the History and Development of the Bouzouki and Greek Rembetika." Frets Magazine. [continued] 1985. "Quatre Vieux Garçons." Liner notes for Folkways Record FA2633. 1983 "The Musical Legacy of the Balfa Brothers." Frets Magazine . 1983b "Tarahumara Luthiers of the Sierra Madre." Frets Magazine. 1983c. "Los Hermanos Chavarria: Trovadores del Amanecer de la Cancion Norteña." Folklyric Record GW783. PERFORMANCE SUMMARY Over 500 appearances as a solo artist or in concerts at venues including the University of California Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Art, Wattis Hall of Man at the California Academy of Sciences, the Oakland Art Museum, and the Pacific Film Archive. Filmed performances as folk musician in "Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers" by Les Blank, "Musical Holdouts" by John Cohen, "Part of Our Lives," by Yasha and Carrie Aginsky.
Honors and Awards
Sonoma State University Presidential Scholar with full-tuition scholarship, 1986-1990. Sonoma State University Anthropology Department Faculty Stipend 1987-1988. Outstanding Male Graduate, Sonoma State University Educational Support Program, 1988.
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