Professor Durba Mitra‘s graduate class, Gender and History, had a discussion about gender and sexuality in the landscape of New York City next to the statue of J. Marion Sims, the so-called “Father of Gynecology” in Harlem. From 1845-1949, Sims carried out experimental surgeries on slave women to address the issue of persistent fistula after protracted labor in childbirth. He conducted these procedures on slave women without the use of anesthetics, believing that slave women did not need anesthesia for pain relief. While he is memorialized in a statue at 103rd Street and 5th Avenue for his innovative surgical techniques and his contribution to NYC medical institutions, his commitment to slavery and his use of slave women for experimentation is less well known. The memorial bears no marks of this history.
Continue reading
Critiquing a Memorial to a Medical Legacy, in Central Park
Comments Off on Critiquing a Memorial to a Medical Legacy, in Central Park
Filed under Faculty News, New Course, Teaching
Tudor Historian Offers Perspective on Scottish Independence (Video Link)
When ABC News was looking for an expert to provide historial background to the momentous vote for Scottish Independence this past September, they turned to Fordham historian Chris Maginn. Chris gives us some background:
though I am a Tudor specialist by training, and am interested in the history of state formation, I try to keep abreast of contemporary politics in Britain in Ireland. While on leave in Ireland I was interviewed by America Magazine about the importance of the President of Ireland’s state visit to England: http://americamagazine.org/issue/higgins-visit-suggests-sea-change-anglo-irish-relations. So, the afternoon before the referendum I went up to ABC’s studio on 66th street and did a television interview; the following morning, in the wake of the election result, I was asked to do radio interviews on some of ABC’s national affiliates.
And here’s the video of the interview with Chris on ABC News (scroll to 7:40 to hear Chris Maginn’s comments)
Comments Off on Tudor Historian Offers Perspective on Scottish Independence (Video Link)
Filed under Faculty News
Chris Dietrich Presents Research on Oil and Decolonization (Video)
Fordham history professor Christopher Dietrich gave a talk at the Center for International and Comparative Law at Mississippi College in early October. He discussed his recent research on Middle Eastern oil elites and their place in the world in the aftermath of decolonization Luckily for us, his talk was recorded on video and is now available here:
Comments Off on Chris Dietrich Presents Research on Oil and Decolonization (Video)
Filed under Faculty News
A Fordham Historian Helps Write the Future of Spaceflight
When we think about the future of spaceflight, the names that most often come to mind are those of the science fiction authors and film directors: Andrei Tarkowsky, Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, and most recently, Christopher Nolan. We certainly don’t think of historians. After all, historians are concerned with the past, not the future, right?Comments Off on A Fordham Historian Helps Write the Future of Spaceflight
Filed under Faculty News, Uncategorized
With A Dynamic Teacher, a Great Course and Access to Lincoln Center, A PhD Student Follows the Movement of Dance’s Past
Following a unique opportunity he had to take a special course at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus last Spring, PhD student Jason McDonald wrote to use to tell us his fascinating work on the history of set building and choreography. The project was such a success that an essay resulting from it was catalogued at the Metropolitan Opera Archive. Read on to hear Jason’s story about the course, his experiences at the Met, and the project that arose from them.
Comments Off on With A Dynamic Teacher, a Great Course and Access to Lincoln Center, A PhD Student Follows the Movement of Dance’s Past
Filed under Grad Student News
HSGA to Host Grant Writing Seminar-9/29
The History Graduate Student Association is pleased to announce the first Academic Professionalization Seminar of the year. All history graduate students are invited to join Dr. Durba Mitra on Monday, September 29, 2014 at 1pm for a Grant Writing Seminar in Dealy 208A. Dr. Mitra will provide an overview of the grant writing process and will lead a discussion on both internal and external fellowship opportunities.
Comments Off on HSGA to Host Grant Writing Seminar-9/29
Filed under Department Events, Grad Student News
Fordham Historians Fill the Pages of Leading Journal
With a world wide audience and a rigorous but efficient peer-review process, the Journal of Medieval History (JMH) is a popular venue for established historians as well as those publishing their research for the first time. It is a mark of the strength and vitality of Fordham’s History Department that consecutive issues of the journal will feature the work of no fewer than five Fordham historians at different stages of their careers. To learn more about these contributions and the people and research behind them, read on! Continue reading
Comments Off on Fordham Historians Fill the Pages of Leading Journal
Filed under Faculty News, Grad Student News, Publications
Alex Novikoff to Present at Madrid Conference
Next week Alex Novikoff (Assistant Professor of History) will be presenting his work on medieval disputation at the upcoming conference in Madrid, Spain: Polemical Encounters: Polemics Between Christians, Jews, and Muslims in Iberia and Beyond.
Comments Off on Alex Novikoff to Present at Madrid Conference
Filed under Faculty News
Inaugural HGSA Research Seminar: Lucy Barnhouse, Sept 25
Thursday, September 25 the History Graduate Student Association (HGSA) will launch their new Research Seminar with a presentation by PhD candidate Lucy Barnhouse entitled “Nuns, Lepers and Archivists: Designing (and Redesigning) a Dissertation”. The presentation will be held at 6 pm in Dealy 202. Read on for details of the talk and the new seminar series.
Comments Off on Inaugural HGSA Research Seminar: Lucy Barnhouse, Sept 25
Filed under Department Events, Grad Student News
History Major Follows Two Historic Avenues Into the Past
Ricky Bordelon (FCRH ’15) at the Landesarchiv in Berlin
This summer, thanks to a research grant from the Fordham College Dean’s Office, Ricky Bordelon (FCRH ’15), a double-major in History and Political Science was able to travel to Berlin to do research for his History senior thesis. Ricky wrote to us with some details of his fascinating project and the archives and sites that he visited in Berlin.
Comments Off on History Major Follows Two Historic Avenues Into the Past
Filed under Undergrad News