Life in the Iron Mills as Fiction of the “Close-Outsider Witness”
Rebecca Harding Davis had no firsthand experience of iron mills. Neither does her nameless narrator.
Photographer Francesca Woodman’s Haunting Dissolutions
Woodman's imagery engaged with architectural and natural landscapes that were themselves in a state of change and decay.
Sigmund Freud’s The Ego and the Id
Freud died 80 years ago this week. In this "Virtual Roundtable," three scholars debate the legacy of his 1923 text.
African American Studies: Foundations and Key Concepts
This non-exhaustive list of readings in African American Studies highlights the vibrant history of the discipline and introduces the field.
Disability Studies: Foundations & Key Concepts
This non-exhaustive reading list highlights some of the key debates and conceptual shifts in disability studies.
A Glimpse at Women’s Periods in the Roaring Twenties
A 1927 study by famed efficiency expert Lillian Moller Gilbreth revealed how American women dealt with menstruation -- and how they wished they could.
Women Made Butter a Behemoth
In the 19th century, butter production became a valuable way for women to profit off their farms-- and it soon became a major agricultural product.
Regulating Sex Work in Medieval Europe
When sex work was considered a "necessary evil," legal brothels provided certain protections for the women who worked there.
Rethinking Love and Autism
Scholars question the common conception that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder don't experience love like neurotypical people do.
The Racism of 19th-Century Advertisements
Illustrated advertising cards invoked ethnic stereotypes, using black women as foils in order to appeal to white consumers.