What am I interested in? 

My intellectual curiosity is focused on understanding how “average” Americans–workers, housewives, teenagers, the poor, and others– made sense of their world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  I am particularly interested in this period, roughly 1870-1940 as it spans the dramatic transformation in the cultural, social, material, and economic fabric of the nation. In my teaching and research, I am interested in how ordinary Americans experienced and made sense of widespread and rapid social change. In most of my courses, students engage in hands-on archival research so that they gain valuable insight into the lives of those who lived before them. In the process they earn archival experience and skills needed for more advanced courses and that help to ready them for graduate and professional studies.

What am I working on?

My long-term project focuses on the Indiana Girls School (IGS) from its inception in the late 19th century through the early 1930s. I am particularly interested in the lives and experiences of the 5000 girls and young women who were sent to the School in this period. Many of the women were sent out to work as servants and nursemaids around the state. The records they left behind offer an incredibly rich window into the lives of young workingwomen and their experiences in this period. Currently, I am researching the politics and practices of what I term carceral gynecology at the IGS.  Other current writing and research projects, include an examination of working women in Pre-code Hollywood as well as manuscripts on Abortion in the Hoosier State and work on sites of possibility for feminist histories in popular culture.

Looking for my work?

If you are interested in my work some of my publications may be found on my page at Academia.edu. Some of my syllabi are there as well. Please check back for a link to my tumblr page for my Indiana Girls School project and to other histories of the early twentieth century I come across in my research.

Standard Disclaimer

This is not a blog site that reflects the views of my employer. The content belongs to me, except where noted. The twitter feed? Comments that appear to the right are reflective of the folks who wrote or retweeted the tweets.  History is a dangerous practice. As such not everything on here may be agreeable to you. You should be 18 years old  to view this site, and even then materials posted here may be too much. Once again, History is a dangerous field of knowledge and intellectual practice. Proceed accordingly.

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