An exploration of Hollywood's eclectic Christmas film history, surveying developments from the 1990s through today.
Christmas Films as Reflections of American History, Part III: Perfecting the Paradigm from the 1990s to the Present
Christmas Films as Reflections of American History, Part II: Stop-Motion, Action, and Horror in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s
An exploration of Hollywood Christmas film history, including children's, horror, and action movies from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Christmas Films as Reflections of American History, Part I: Dickens, Romance, and the US Military in the 1940s and 50s
An exploration of Hollywood's eclectic history of Christmas films, starting with postwar Dickensian adaptations and Cold War romances.
This Anthem Was Made For You and Me?
When Jennifer Lopez sang Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration in January of this year, it marked the latest use of Woody Guthrie's much-contested song. The history of "This Land Is Your Land," from the many versions of the song to the even more varied responses to it, raise important questions about what a national anthem is—and what it might do in the discordant politics and culture of the United States.
There Has Always Been a Thin Line Separating the United States’ Jails and its Mental Healthcare System
US jails are now the nation’s biggest mental healthcare providers, a fact that surprises many Americans. But, it turns outs, there’s always been a thin division between the nation’s jails and mental healthcare system.
Hulu’s Mrs. America and the Real History of the Battle Over the ERA
What can Mrs. America tell us about the historical context of the battle over the Equal Rights Amendment? Where does it shine and where does it fall short? And what should we take away from the show, and its real history, to better understand our present?
Of Plagues and Papers: COVID-19, the Media, and the Construction of American Disease History
In their attempts to make sense of the novel coronavirus, media outlets frequently invoke the past, comparing COVID-19 to the Black Death, the "Great Influenza" of 1918-19, and other historical disease outbreaks. The act of connecting "then" and "now" has produced two countervailing historical narratives: one that emphasizes medical progress over time, and another that highlights America's failure to learn the lessons of past pandemics.
No Valentines for Women’s Rights: Why No Man Should Marry a Suffragist
Life Magazine Promises “$300 to the Winner” Throughout the fall and winter of 1910, Life magazine called upon readers to submit three hundred-word manuscripts to their New York office. Each issue of the magazine would contain a selection of the best submissions and, in early 1911, the editors would declare a winner. That author would receive $300—equivalent... Continue Reading →
Suffrage Pie, Honest Watergate Salad, and (Im)Peach-Mint Crumb Cake: Food, Recipes, and Humor as Political Commentary
Although social media enables political food puns to go viral, they are rooted in a long tradition of journalists, activists, and average citizens combining food and humor to poke fun at political opponents. This article examines three such moment: (Im)Peach-Mint Crumb Cake and President Trump, The Watergate Cookbook and President Nixon, and Suffrage Pie For the Doubting Husband from the women's suffrage movement.
The Gendering of Human Rights: A Brief History and Today’s Challenges
The Trump administration has been making efforts to redefine human rights. The history of human rights examined through a gendered lens helps explain why those efforts are so controversial - and dangerous.
Clio and the Contemporary 