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Interviewing Vampires

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Interviewing Vampires November 1999 CLASCLASnotes Vol. 13 The University of Florida College ofnotes Liberal Arts and Sciences No. 11 The Dean’s Musings Interviewing Vampires Lombardi Historian Luise White’s new book examines the social and political significance of African vampire stories Sometime in the future a history onducting an interview with a will be written about the University of Florida, at which time the Lombardi vampire might sound like pure years will be given a certain perspec- Hollywood, but it’s all in a day’s tive. It’s much too early now. JVL was Cwork for Luise White. A professor of Afri- too strong a character, and the memo- can history, White conducted field research ries are too intense for any detached on vampirism in Africa for her new book evaluation at this time. Only the foolish Speaking With Vampires: Rumor and His- would try. Such as a dean who served tory in East and Central Africa (Studies on during all of Lombardi’s term. the History of Society and Culture), which As anyone knows who met Lombardi will be published by the University of Cali- for five minutes, he was a mercurial, fornia Press early next year. charismatic leader. His style was not White first encountered African vampire for everyone, but the vast majority saw in him a passionate, tireless advocate stories while writing a book on prostitution for UF, a president who did not cotton in Nairobi, Kenya. Interested in writing to those whose vision of UF was less a history using rumors, she began collect- demanding than his own. And his time ing vampire stories in Kenya, Zambia, in office brought indisputable proof of and Uganda, and examining records in his success. This university has moved Congo and Tanzania. “I wanted to see how far beyond the UF of 1990, increas- Africans’ fears and fantasies about colonial ing its academic reputation, its public rule could be used to describe wider social and private funding, and its output of and historical processes,” she says. Luise White, History superbly educated students. For this, Although African vampire stories have Lombardi has to be given due credit. evolved to fit changing times and differ- Presidents don’t do all this by them- older ideas. “In fact,” says White, “most selves, but they make it possible for ing locales, the shape of the stories is the of the people that I’m writing about use others. same—someone or something takes blood blood as a way to talk about other impor- The Lombardi years were full of against a person’s will and leaves that tant fluids…sexual fluids and those body excitement, enthusiasm, and opti- person for dead. And according to White, functions you don’t talk about in polite mism, coupled with no small measure the stories often function as descriptions society.” of controversy. The train was always of abuses of power and authority. During But Africans comprehend and employ pulling out of the station, heading for the colonial era, for example, whites were vampire stories in more than one way. In the next destination, and those who said to employ Africans to bring them addition to incorporating the old ideas, tarried were lucky to catch on to the blood. A more recent twist in vampire lore present-day accounts of vampirism—like caboose. For example, with very short posits that vampires steal blood for re-sale notice, he broke the news about his Count Dracula tales familiar to Ameri- to wealthy nations and individuals on the universal computer mandate for stu- cans—also reflect contemporary ideas and dents, to which colleges had to respond. international black market. concerns about the body, including the We said, “No way, too soon, gotta be The meaning of blood and its im- circulation of blood. “Here, vampires are kidding.” He said, “Do it.”—So, of portance in the body plays a crucial role a symbol of evil, a separate race that feeds course, we did it, as he knew we would. in vampire stories. “[Long ago], many on the blood of others, with modern no- It was the Lombardi way. societies told stories about bad people who tions of blood (coming out of 17th and 18th He also applied business principles to consume flesh or drink blood,” White says. century advances in science) factored in,” the operation of the academic enter- “Back then, for peoples without a concept says White. “So these stories straddle the prise, which many said was not pos- of circulation, the idea of sucking blood realms of the supernatural and the scien- sible, and it was certainly not easy. But might have been gross, but it didn’t carry tific.” easy was not JVL’s style. If he believed notions of fatality.” Some Africans still in something, it was full steam ahead Unlike Dracula, however, contempo- interpret vampire reports in terms of these rary African vampires are not imagined as and damn the torpedoes. And when he See Vampires, page 6 See Musings, page 12 This month’s focus: History Around the College DEPARTMENTS Physics Gives Luncheon in Anthropology Honor of Former Chair Anita Spring was invited to Georgetown University to discuss entrepreneurial activities in Africa, April 9, 1999. She traveled to the University of Wageninen, the Netherlands, April 16-19 to participate in the founding of the International Consortium on Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development (IGARD). African and Asian Languages and Literatures During Chauncey C. Chu’s sabbatical leave (1998-1999), he de- livered invited keynote lectures at the 1998 Annual Research Fo- rum of the Hong Kong Linguistic Society. He also gave lectures at eight academic institutions in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. He was an invited lecturer at a summer institute of linguistics at Heilongjinag University, China, where he was conferred an honorary visiting professorship. On October 21, the Phys- ics Department honored Botany CLAS Associate Dean of Joseph S. Davis presented a paper entitled “The brine biological Research Neil Sullivan system and its management in the seasonal solar saltworks” at (above center) with a lun- the Sixth International Conference on Environmental Science and cheon to commemorate his Technology, in Samos, Greece held August 30 to September 2. term as chair of the depart- At the post conference symposium, he presented an invited paper ment (1989-1999). Fac- “Solar saltworks, an environmentally friendly industry.” ulty, staff, retired faculty, students and researchers On September 9, William Louis Stern presented an invited attended the sit-down af- lecture in London before members of the Linnean Society on the fair, along with Dean Harrison and (pictured above) anatomy, systematics, and relationships of the vanilla orchid tribe President Lombardi and Provost Capaldi. entitled “Anatomical Contributions to Vanilleae.” The paper was read in the same lecture theater where in 1858 Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace gave their views of natural selection History and the origin of species in plants and animals. Bob Hatch presented an invited paper, “Teaching & Learning & the Web: Real, Possible & Alternative Worlds,” at the Fourth English Biennial History of Astronomy Conference (University of Notre William Logan’s poem “Dear DD” appeared in the October 4 Dame, July). Last March his website received special recogni- issue of the New Yorker. tion from the History of Science Society <web.clas.ufl.edu/us- ers/rhatch/>. Chris Snodgrass presented a paper “Representing Salome in the So-Called Decadence” to open an Arts of the British 1890s Mathematics conference held in Washington, DC in September and sponsored In July, Krishnaswami Alladi, Jane Larson, William Mitch- by the Freer Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the ell, and Andy Vince participated and gave invited talks at a Georgetown University English Department, the William Morris conference in memory of Paul Erdos held at the Hungarian Society, and the National Gallery of Art. Academy of Sciences in Budapest. The late Paul Erdos, a legend of twentieth century mathematics, was a regular visitor Roger M. Thompson attended the 12th World Congress of to UF and collaborated with many members of the mathematics Applied Linguistics AILA 99 in Tokyo, Japan (August 1-6) and department. presented the paper “Basketball Taglish: The Informalization of Filipino English.” Philosophy Robert Baum gave the keynote address, “Getting Down to Geography REAL Cases: The Devil is in the Details,” at the National In September, Edward J. Malecki was an invited participant Conference on Philosophical Issues in Ethics Across the Cur- in the International Symposium on Knowledge, Education and riculum in Rochester, New York, in October. The Conference is Space, held in Heidelberg, Germany. He presented a paper en- sponsored by the Fund for the Improvement of Post-secondary titled “Knowledge and Regional Competitiveness.” Education. 2 Around the College Workshop on Cultural Preservation Focuses Seahorse Marine Laboratory Christens on Computer and Video Programs New Research Vessel Allan Burns On Saturday, (Anthropology) was October 9, The invited by the Crow Seahorse Key Tribe of Crow Agency, Marine Laboratory, Montana to conduct a directed by zoology workshop on cultural professor Harvey preservation, especial- Lillywhite, held a ly through the devel- special ceremony opment of computer to christen its new and video programs. research vessel, the The workshop was R/V Discovery, a held at Little Bighorn 42-foot custom-built Dean Thorsen Dean College of the Crow Allan Burns (foreground) and members Newton dive boat Seahorse Key director Harvey Tribe. Projects during of the Crow and Lakota tribes work on a equipped with navi- Lillywhite (Zoology, left) and Frank the workshop included cultural preservation video. gational electron- J. Maturo (Seahorse director from a documentary about ics. Among other 1970-98) prepare to christen the the Indian perspective on Custer’s last stand, a video on intertribal things, the craft will R/V Discovery.
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