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Full-Text Articles in History
Propagating Monsters: Conjoined Twins In Popular Culture, Susan Kerns
Propagating Monsters: Conjoined Twins In Popular Culture, Susan Kerns
Theses and Dissertations
This study analyzes representations of conjoined twins in the United States to illustrate how historical images are in conversation with biographies, medical documents, sideshows, and contemporary film and television shows about conjoined twins, both fictional and nonfictional. The recycling of established tropes and the privileging of science over humanity results in limited understandings of the fluidity of conjoined twin identity. Separation and individuality are favored, relegating conjoined twins to "disabled" people that need fixing. Studying biographical artifacts of Millie-Christine McKoy's and Daisy and Violet Hilton's careers illuminates the interrelationship between biographies, images, and rights. Although born into slavery, Millie-Christine overcame …
Stars Of The East And West : The Anglo-American Invention Of The Circassian Girl, Alexandra E. Mcdowall
Stars Of The East And West : The Anglo-American Invention Of The Circassian Girl, Alexandra E. Mcdowall
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The choices a society makes regarding their entertainment speak to their deeper desires, fears, and values. A uniquely nineteenth century freak show attraction known as "Circassian Girls" represented a tension in the changing world. More than an entertaining spectacle of a person from a far-flung corner of the world, Circassian Girls became constructed symbols of race, nationalism, class, and gender. Through their manufactured perfection, these performers became a caricature of white, middle-class womanhood. This paper compares the freak show performers with other descriptions of Circassian Girls through the nineteenth century, placing them into the context of perceptions of the East, …