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AREAS
OF GRADUATE STUDY The Department's three Graduate Program Areas of Study include European, Global, and United States History.
The long saga of European history, which now is the history by extension of a large part of the globe, can be viewed at Purdue University in three segments: Early (Roman and medieval), Early Modern (fifteenth to eighteenth centuries), and Modern (nineteenth and twentieth centuries). The interests of Purdue’s European historians range from ancient Mediterranean pirates to the Space Age. Early Europe begins with ancient Rome’s domination of much of the continent and concludes as Europeans begin to export their civilization to other continents and other peoples. Purdue historians offer graduate work in this formative period. John Contreni’s interests center on the cultural and intellectual history of the early Middle Ages (fifth to tenth centuries), with special emphasis on the political, intellectual, and religious culture of the Carolingian age. Michael Ryan teaches social, cultural, and intellectual history of the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean Basin from the Thirteenth through the sixteenth centuries. His research interests and publications focus on such themes as the history of medieval apocalypticism; late medieval notions of magic, astrology, and divination; heresy, orthodoxy, and the construction of medieval secular authority; and medieval travelers' journeys in the wider world. The Early Modern period of European history embraces the traditional Renaissance and Reformation and includes the formation of the early modern state as well as the social and cultural history of the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries. James Farr is a social and cultural historian who has explored the world of artisans in France and throughout Europe. His interests embrace economic, legal, and political history. Melinda Zook emphasizes the political dynamics of the Tudor and Stuart period in England. Her interests include women and the theatre. Charles Ingrao’s research focuses on Central Europe, with special emphasis on state formation during the Habsburg period as well as ethnic and political conflict in the modern period. Vernard Foley teaches surveys of European intellectual history as well as the history of western science and technology. Modern European historians at Purdue research critical facets of nineteenth- and twentieth-century history. Whitney Walton specializes in cultural, social, and gender history, especially in France. Her current research interests are transnational and comparative. Gordon Mork’s research centers on Germany with special interests in the Oberammergau Passion Play and the Holocaust. He also contributes to the field of history education. Michael Smith’s interests in Russian history include the language policies and nationalities of the Soviet Union and the Soviet-U.S. space race. European History Faculty Information TBA includes: Jennifer Foray
The field of Global history at Purdue is grounded in the regional histories of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Faculty and graduate students explore comparative cross-cultural approaches within and between these regions. We address transnational perspectives of global scope. We confront issues that interpret and transcend the boundaries of the nation-state, encouraging a rethinking of conventional concepts and paradigms. The study of Global history prepares our students, whether choosing it as a major or minor, for the practical and intellectual realities of teaching and research. Students work with a highly diverse faculty whose collective expertise covers a broad range of geographic regions, chronological periods, and methodological approaches. Faculty and students work closely with African-American Studies, Asian Studies, Jewish Studies, Women’s Studies, and other interdisciplinary programs in the College of Liberal Arts. Here is a brief introduction to the Global history faculty, with links to further information. Middle East: Janet Afary, who also teaches in the Department of Women’s Studies, brings feminist theoretical perspectives to bear on her examination of politics and gender in the modern Middle East and Transcaucasia. The Iran Times (Washington, D.C.) named her book, The Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1911: Grassroots Democracy, Social Democracy, and the Origins of Feminism (1996), among the dozen most informative English-language works on modern Iran. Gordon Young, is a historian of the Ancient Near East and eastern Mediterranean, focusing especially on the Late Bronze Age/Amarna Age, Ancient Israel, and the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur. On occasion he teaches both Mesopotamian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphics to interested students. Stacy E. Holden teaches the history of the Middle East and North Africa, and her research focuses specifically on how environmental conditions influenced the political organization of modern Morocco. She is particularly interested in the technology of food production as well as architecture and urbanism. Asia: A past president of the Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs and current editor of the U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal, Sally Hastings has written extensively on the subject of women in modern Japan, including her monograph, Neighborhood and Nation in Tokyo, 1905-1937 (1995). She is currently working on an analysis of the first generation of women in Japanese politics during the first two decades after WWII. Tithi Bhattacharya is a historian of nineteenth-century colonial India. Her monograph in progress treats the larger themes of political economy and capitalism in a colonial context, focusing specifically on the development of the middle class in nineteenth-century Bengal. Juan Wang specializes in modern Chinese history. Her current work is on the role played by print culture and the popular press in the formation of Chinese nationalism, modernity, and public consciousness in the final years of the Qing dynasty. Her future research plans include studying the lives of controversial revolutionary figures. Africa: Raymond Dumett’s research focuses on the economic and social history of West Africa and emphasizes the themes of trade, mining, agriculture, tropical medicine, labor, slavery and colonialism. His most recent book: El Dorado in West Africa: The Gold Mining Frontier, African Labor and Colonial Capitalism in the Gold Coast, 1875-1900 (1998) received an award as an “outstanding academic book” from the American Library Association. Alicia Decker's research and teaching transcend disciplinary boundaries. She has a joint appointment with Women's Studies and works on women and gender issues in 20th century sub-Saharan Africa. She is currently completing a manuscript entitled "Beyond the Barrel: Gener, Power, and Militarism in Idi Amin's Ugana, 1971-1979." The Americas:
Charles
Cutter has written on the Spanish colonial legal system from a variety
of angles to explain the ways that it defined relationships and mediated social
interaction in eighteenth-century New Spain. A past recipient of two Fulbright
research awards, he is now completing a biography of Ignacio de Zubía, an
eighteenth-century cleric who lived in Mexico City.
Ariel de la Fuente focuses
on Argentina in the nineteenth century. His Children of Facundo: Caudillo
and Gaucho Insurgency During the Argentine State-Formation Prosees (La Rioja,
1853-1870) (2000) looks at the role of the
“masses” in defining the political sensibilities
of the period. His current research
continues to uncover the various expressions of
popular culture in Argentina. Joseph
Dorsey focuses on colonial Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as
colonial and pre-colonial Africa. Emphasizing interdisciplinary history,
his work examines the social relations of labor, gender systems, and
international diplomacy. He also teaches history, comparative literature,
and film studies in the African American Studies Program.
Franklin T. Lambert specializes
in British North America and the British Caribbean during the colonial era as
well as the revolutionary period of the United States. He has written
widely on the First Great Awakening and is the author of the most complete and
revelatory biography of George Whitefield.
The graduate program in United States history at Purdue University is particularly strong, boasting a deep, diverse faculty committed to both scholarship and teaching. Faculty members specializing in U.S. history have published works with major university and commercial presses, and their publication record taken one with another is robust. They are well represented as editors or on the editorial boards of major scholarly publications. They also hold administrative positions on important professional organizations. The library resources for U.S. faculty and graduate students—primary, secondary, and journals—are well developed and continue to grow in number and quality.
Students interested in fields as diverse as political, cultural, and social history will find a comfortable fit and an exciting academic environment. One area of particular strength is the antebellum period. For ten years (1994-2004) the department was the editorial home of the Journal of the Early Republic, which is the preeminent scholarly journal for the period. Under the editorship of John L. Larson, who specializes in the political economy of the early republic, and Michael A. Morrison, a political historian, the Journal became the heart of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR). Robert E. May has written widely on U.S. foreign relations, military affairs, and sectionalism in the Mexican War-Civil War periods.
At the other end of the chronological spectrum, modern America is another era of faculty depth and diversity. Reflecting the current field of United States historiography, the department is particularly well situated in race and social history. Susan Curtis adds a cultural dimension with her expertise and writings on black actors and musicians. In particular, Professor Curtis continues to integrate the meaning of American culture in multiracial and multiethnic society. Joseph Dorsey specializes in African-American history, including the transatlantic slave trade, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Nancy Gabin is a expert on women and work, and her research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of gender, social, and labor history. She has written widely on women in the workplace, with a special emphasis on the Midwest.
Topical areas as diverse as religious, cultural, and diplomatic history are also encompassed by faculty members in United States history. Franklin T. Lambert specializes in American colonial and revolutionary eras. He has written widely on the First Great Awakening and is the author of the most complete and revelatory biography of George Whitefield. Randy Roberts is a nationally recognized authority on the history of sport in the United States and popular culture. He has written on subjects as diverse as Jack Johnson, John Wayne, and the Alamo. Patrick Hearden is a diplomatic historian whose scholarly interests span the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He has written on the New South’s market expansion in the late nineteenth century, America’s entry into World War II, and the Vietnam War.
Finally, history faculty cooperate with interdisciplinary programs throughout the College of Liberal Arts. Professor Curtis is Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs, and individual historians contribute to each of the following programs: African American Studies, American Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Asian Studies, Religious Studies, Jewish Studies, Peace Studies, Film Studies, Classical Studies, and Women's Studies.
Purdue's history scholars also excel in the classroom. Four current faculty have been awarded the College of Liberal Arts Teaching Excellence Award, and four are the recipients of the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award-the highest honor for teaching bestowed by the university. There have been three admitted to the University's Teaching Academy, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has named two individuals Indiana Professor of the Year.
U.S. History Faculty Information TBA includes: Darren Dochuk, Doug Hurt, Caroline Janney, and Dawn Riggs
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