History Commons^™

How Paul Became The Straight Word: Protestant Biblicism And The Twentieth-Century Invention Of Biblical Heteronormativity, Heather White

All Faculty Scholarship

This essay traces out how a seemingly ancient truth of antihomosexual condemnation came to be implanted in American Bibles and lodged—in particular—in the epistles of the apostle Paul. The Pauline texts of Romans and 1 Corinthians are the most frequently cited proof texts for biblical condemnation of homosexuality. The same-sex meanings of these passages are often not perceived as interpretations; they are imputed to the text and its historical context as the timeless, original meaning. Viewed historically, however, there are many things that are puzzlingly new about this plain biblical speech.

The Setauket Gang: The American Revolutionary Spy Ring You've Never Heard About, Fran Leskovar

Summer Research

Why would some people choose to overlook their apparent differences, ethnicity, religion, gender, and race, and risked being hung to participate in something (spying) where the outcome was not certain? Could they have sensed a moment in history was larger than they were and felt premonition of the new country before it was born?

Due to the complex and vibrant environment, a single answer is not possible. The Anglo-American conflict was not as French nor Russian Revolution; instead, it was a gradual transformation of individual social and political views, as Bernard Bailyn argues. The British aggressive imperial policies had a …

Tattoos In East Asia: Conforming To Individualism, Morgan Macfarlane

Summer Research

Although Japan, South Korea, and China share a similar history of tattoo criminality spanning thousands of years, in modern times they all hold different legal policies concerning the practice of tattooing. South Korea has the strictest laws, requiring a medical doctorate to legally tattoo, while Japan has only recently reaffirmed the legality of the practice outside of health professionals. China, on the other hand, has few restrictions on body art. This paper explores this interesting difference via observational fieldwork in the major cities of Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Beijing as well as interviews with local people within and outside the …

Queen Catherine's Material Body, Kyra Zapf

Summer Research

In an era when most women were at the mercy of their husbands and the courts who ruled in their favor, Catherine managed a long and drawn out fight against being divorced by the most powerful man in England. Material goods contributed to much of Catherine's autonomy. Examples include: naming of items in her will, royal jewels she owned as personal property, and gifts she gave and received. Catherine used her wardrobe as a political statement. For centuries England's queens have been instrumental in creating an image for the monarchy, one tied not only to their clothing and jewels but …

"Hail Hydra": Marvel's Captain America And White Nationalism In The United States, Erin Budrow

Summer Research

In 2016, Captain America brought comic books to the forefront of national discussion with a single phrase: “Hail Hydra.” These two words proclaimed Captain America’s allegiance to Hydra, one of Marvel Comics most recognizable villains which has historically been used as an allegory for the Nazi Party. The moment incited a riot not only among comic book super fans, but casual onlookers as well. Many claimed that by aligning Captain America with Hydra author Nick Spencer disregarded the character’s origin as an anti-Nazi propaganda piece and later history as a defender of American values, and gave fuel to the growing …