OU - Student Journals

Permanent URI for this community

https://hdl.handle.net/11244/329108

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 178

Open Access
Stolen Victories, Evaluating the War Cult in Soviet Russia
(10/1/12) Riley, Meghan; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
Meghan Riley is the inaugural winner of the Griswold Prize. Although the competition for this prize was fierce, the editorial board concurred that Ms. Riley’s essay embodied most clearly the standards of exceptional historical scholarship: an original and compelling argument that employed a variety of primary and secondary sources, an understanding of the historiography in her field, and a lucid and engaging writing style that added that extra touch of elegance to an already sophisticated argument. -Sandie Holguín
Open Access
The University of Oklahoma Historical Journal
(10/1/12) Blanchard, Tessa; Riley, Meghan; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
Preface to the Inaugural Issue of the OU Historical Journal by Raphael B. Folsom, Assistant Professor of History
Open Access
The Worlds of Monticello Mountain: How Space Reflected Power and Politics on an Eighteenth Century Chesapeake Plantation
(10/1/12) Pittman, Kayla; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
This distinguished article reminds us that written texts are not the only historical evidence available to us. The author makes creative use of visual and archaeological sources in conjunction with cutting-edge theories of space and place to show us how Monticello's architecture reflected the inner workings of its designer's mind. Thomas Jefferson is among our most important, and hence most thoroughly studied, presidents. This paper performs the remarkable feat of offering new insights on topics we thought were deeply familiar. With the rigor and playfulness of a fine art critic, Kayla Pittman makes the familiar strange. -Raphael Folsom
Open Access
The Influence of Indigenous Artistis in the Maps of the Relaciones Geográficas
(10/1/12) Brockway, Mark; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
In the late sixteenth century the Spanish cosmographer López de Velasco ordered maps of cities and towns in America to be produced and returned to Spain to gain a more accurate understanding of Spanish territory in the New World. His instructions known as the Relación Geográfica questionnaire was disseminated to local officials in towns across the Viceroys of New Spain and Peru. In some cases Spanish government officials living in the Americas enlisted indigenous artists and cartographers, particularly those in New Spain. As a result, the maps vary in distinct ways from Spanish and European maps of the same time period. By analyzing the differences in the two types of maps, it becomes possible to gain a unique perspective into spatial viewpoints of native peoples in early colonial America. My research is aimed at describing specific spatial patterns of representation used by indigenous artists in depicting early Latin American towns. These maps communicated many aspects of indigenous art and thought back to the Iberian Peninsula.
Open Access
Who's the Imperialist? American Marxists Respond to the Russo-Finnish War
(10/1/12) Moore, Nathan; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
In this paper, Nathan Moore explores the complicated question of how American communists responded to the Soviet Union’s 1939-1940 invasion of Finland, and reveals its long-lasting consequences in American political discourse. Using clear and concise prose, Moore painstakingly examines the reactions of the Communist Party of the United States, the Socialist Workers Party Majority, and the Socialist Workers Party Minority to the Winter War and argues that each faction’s response depended on how it defined ‘imperialism.’ Drawing on detailed analyses of primary source documents, this paper constitutes an original contribution to the literature on the international impact of the Winter War. -Meghan Riley
Open Access
The Death Dealer
(10/1/12) Carter, Michael Lewis; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
The post-war confessions of Rudolf Höss, who, as commandant of Auschwitz, supervised the mass killing of Jews, however, invite readers to re-examine the role of evil as part of the historical commentary on the SS. In Hössʼs memoir, The Death Dealer: The Memoirs of the SS Kommandant at Auschwitz, written in a Polish prison between October 1946 and April 1947, Höss makes no attempt to conceal his crimes. Placing them in the context of careerism and the values of military service, Höss posits that he and other soldiers are in many respects not dissimilar from us. Rather, his actions belong to the current of duty to country, self-sacrifice and obedience that remains an intrinsic, yet problematic, part of military culture in armies including our own.
Open Access
The Legacy of Honor in War
(10/1/12) Blanchard, Tessa J; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
From the earliest accounts of warfare, honor has been central to the warrior ethos. But is honor today the same as it was thousands of years ago? From the Iliad to the Peloponnesian War, from the Romans to the Crusaders, and from the Victorians to the soldiers of World War I, honor has shaped warrior’s conduct profoundly. While honor may mean different things to each culture, the core of honor has always been courage on the battlefield, but many facets of the idea, such as of virtue, religion, and how a soldier ought to defend his honor, have changed over time.
Open Access
The Bases The Story of Norman's Naval Bases during 1942
(10/1/12) Edwards, Breanna; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
This paper was selected because it exemplifies good storytelling. The author, Breanna Edwards, traces the establishment of several naval bases in Norman, Oklahoma through reports in the local newspaper in 1942. From the first reports of the coming construction projects, to the Navy Day parade in which the city and its new naval residents celebrated together, Edwards traces the story of the development of the bases and what they meant to the city of Norman at different points. “The Bases” demonstrates that good historical writing does not just point out facts, but connects them into a story that communicates to the reader how people of the day experienced the events and why. -Tessa Blanchard
Open Access
Famine, Genocide, and Memory: Ukrainians and the Commemoration of the 1932-1933 Holodomor
(10/1/12) Schmidt, Taylor; Blanchard, Tessa; Carter, Michael; Geary, Ryan; Renner, Scott; Riley, Meghan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
History is political. Never has this been truer than in the former Soviet Union, where the past was subject to incessant ‘revisions.’ Mr. Schmidt takes on the Ukrainian famine, or Holodomor, from an international perspective, and does so quite thoroughly. As the paper unfolds, the reader comes to realize how inextricably entwined Ukranian identity is with this event. Genocide perpetrated on Ukranian people, or unintended pan-Soviet tragedy, the Holodomor’s political implications reach across oceans. The paper distinguishes itself with its in depth research and the author’s acute sensitivity to the gravity of the topic he so brilliantly explores. - Ryan Geary
Open Access
Intersections of Anarcho-Feminism: Emma Goldman, Mujeras Libres, and the Spanish Civil War
(10/1/13) Wright, Alexandra; Scheller, Austin; Ross, Madeline; Tenney, Lena; Renner, Scott; Conklin, Madison; Long, Madison; Moore, Nathan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
In this paper, Alexandra Wright evokes a feminist movement that flared to life in 1930’s Spain, burned brightly amid the political chaos of the Spanish Civil War, and just as quickly burned out. Emma Goldman’s sexually based anarcho-feminism was too hot for mainstream Spanish women to handle. But like the flash of an explosion, this radical ideology left a bright spot in the vision of Spain’s women for years to come. The possibilities that emerged in Goldman’s movement for women’s liberation, women’s advancement, women’s involvement in the great political issues of their day were a precedent for future feminist pioneers. Wright’s research is thorough, her analysis evenhanded, and her exposition sparklingly clear. –Raphael Folsom
Open Access
Plague and Population in Early Medieval Europe
(10/1/13) Anderson, Skyler; Scheller, Austin; Ross, Madeline; Tenney, Lena; Renner, Scott; Conklin, Madison; Long, Madison; Moore, Nathan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
This meticulous and compelling paper shows that late antiquity and the incipient dark ages glimmered with more prosperity than most scholars have realized. Even as plague decimated the Mediterranean world, certain areas and peoples were better able to weather the onlsaught than others were, and thus drew strength from the weakness of their neighbors. Artfully weaving together textual sources with advanced scholarship and research on the physical health of the diverse societies of Justinian’s world, Anderson brings this complicated age into sharp focus. Like the best historians, Anderson reconciles a sharply articulated new argument with sensitivity to the complexities of the past. –Raphael Folsom
Open Access
Ad Fontes: A New Role for the Primary Sources in Anglo-Saxon History
(10/1/13) Renner, Scott; Scheller, Austin; Ross, Madeline; Tenney, Lena; Renner, Scott; Conklin, Madison; Long, Madison; Moore, Nathan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
Scott Renner’s extraordinarily sophisticated article, “Ad Fontes, A New Role for the Primary Sources in Anglo-Saxon History,” is the winner of this year’s Griswold Prize for Excellence. Renner displays uncommon command of both qualitative and quantitative methods, spinning a facinating tale from the stuff of archaeological and genetic data. In his hands, ancient texts long thought to have exhausted by earlier generations of interpreters, are made fresh and revealing. –Raphael Folsom
Open Access
The University of Oklahoma Historical Journal
(10/1/13) Scheller, Austin; Ross, Madeline; Tenney, Lena; Renner, Scott; Conklin, Madison; Long, Madison; Moore, Nathan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
Preface to the Second Issue of the OU Historical Journal by Jamie Hart, Chair, University of Oklahoma Department of History
Open Access
The Post-Conflict Transformation of Gender Norms in Nicaragua
(10/1/13) Kerwin, Helen; Scheller, Austin; Ross, Madeline; Tenney, Lena; Renner, Scott; Conklin, Madison; Long, Madison; Moore, Nathan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
Helen Kerwin’s engaging and informative article elucidates the recent social and political history of Nicaragua. But she accomplishes more than this single task. She also contributes to the history and theory of women and revolution. Ms. Kerwin demonstrates the ironies of “revolutionary war” in addition to further exposing the uncertainty in the very notion of female liberation: should a project of liberation free women from the strictures of their traditional roles, or free them to fill those roles more successfully? Her work showcases the ability of historical writing not only to educate about the past but to provoke thought about the present and the future. –Austin Scheller
Open Access
The Impact of Failed Lesbian Feminist Ideology and Rhetoric
(10/1/13) Shannahan, Katy; Scheller, Austin; Ross, Madeline; Tenney, Lena; Renner, Scott; Conklin, Madison; Long, Madison; Moore, Nathan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
"The Impact of Failed Lesbian Feminist Ideology and Rhetoric" is a sophisticated analysis of the politics of lesbian feminism. Lesbian feminism, a radical feminist separatist movement that emerged as part of second-wave feminism, advocated that all feminists should embrace a lesbian identity in order to break apart the chains of patriarchy.By examining the writings of lesbian feminists such as Radical lesbians and the Leeds Revolutionary Group (and their critics), Shannahan, convincingly argues that lesbian feminism was not solely "an isolated and outdated form of feminism," but rather a movement that served as a gadfly that "helped to shape the direction of the mainstream feminist movement." –Sandie Holguín
Open Access
A Church Divided: American Catholics and the Equal Rights Amendment
(10/1/13) Tenney, Lena; Scheller, Austin; Ross, Madeline; Tenney, Lena; Renner, Scott; Conklin, Madison; Long, Madison; Moore, Nathan; Folsom, Raphael; Holguín, Sandie; Levenson, Alan
Religion and Equal Rights are topics that have been relevant throughout history up until the present day. Ms. Tenney’s thoughtful look at the divisions caused by the ERA within the Catholic Church is an excellent piece of both religious studies and historical scholarship. Her paper is an example of thorough research, quality writing and comprehensive analysis. –Madison Conklin
Open Access
Spontaneous Generation and Kuhn's Model of Scientific Revolution
(2012) Hill, Alyssa
Thomas S. Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" describes the cyclical process by which science develops. This process, far from one of slow, gradual accumulation, is a process of revolution in which one framework for scientific thought is continually displaced by another. Its beginning is marked by the establishment of a paradigm, which allows for normal science to occur. Normal science illuminates anomalies, which may be resolved under the established paradigm, shelved, or deemed significant enough to cause a crisis. If a crisis results, a scientific revolution soon follows, and a new paradigm is established. The process then repeats itself. An example that illustrates Kuhn's model well is the replacement theory of spontaneous generation with the theory of biogenesis, which revolutionized the field of microbiology.
Open Access
A Study of Female Representation in American Popular Music Festival Culture
(2015) Van Amburgh, Hannah; Rath, Michael
When music festivals featuring both popular artists and more underground genres first appeared in the United States in the mid-twentieth century, they provided individuals with an opportunity to escape from reality and join a community of fellow music enthusiasts and admirers. These events, such as the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967 and the original Woodstock Festival in 1969, influenced the entire North American music culture and moved the rock and alternative genres into mainstream attractions (A History of Music Festivals, 2013). American music festival culture has flourished since the millennium, with live concert ticket sales replacing much of the loss recorded music sales have experienced as digital music services gain popularity and dominance in the industry (Parker, 2013). Despite the overall enthusiasm for music festivals in the United States, there has been a rather noticeable concern among the most popular festivals that brings the relevant consciousness of the live event production industry into question: where are all the women?
Open Access
Modes of Violence Against Puerto Rico’s Urban Poor: Housing Policy in Puerto Rico
(2015) Rodriguez, Monique; Rath, Michael
Public housing projects reserved for low-income families in Puerto Rico are known as caseríos. A caserío consists of several tenement structures subdivided into one-family apartments built on a large and compact settlement (Duany 1997:201). These projects are ubiquitous around the island. I argue that caseríos are unable to serve the needs of their residents and are even sites of various modes of violence against the urban poor. Residents of public housing are subjected to both significant explicit and structural violence, but much more pervasive is the latter. Forms of explicit violence residents face include police brutality and media sanctioning of violence against youth. Forms of structural violence include limited socioeconomic mobility, segregation and isolation within and between neighborhoods, governmental neglect of facilities, and forced reconfigurations of kinship networks and family organization.
Open Access
The ART of Producing Responsa: Feminist Critiques of Rabbinic Law through the Lens of Assisted Reproductive Technologies
(2015) Pemberton, Andrea; Rath, Michael
Prior to the mid-twentieth century, when assisted reproductive technologies (ART) stepped on to the medical scene, supplications and prayers to God were the primary means for religious Jewish couples to cope with the issue of infertility. However, with the advent of artificial insemination techniques, fertility hormones, in vitro fertilization, and surrogacy, new medical technologies have successfully generated proactive methods for infertile individuals to have biological children of their own. Yet as these controversial technologies emerge, and prove to be of interest and use to Jewish persons, rabbis are compelled to contend with this new and challenging issue. In an effort to comply with halakha, or rabbinic law, modern rabbis have interpreted ART in various ways, putting restrictions on certain forms and implementing guidelines for their use in general. For religious Orthodox Jews, halakha is a prominent feature of everyday life that influences his or her actions and interactions in the most direct way. Because of this observance, Orthodox couples undergoing fertility treatment and utilizing ART take seriously the guidance of their rabbis, who are seen as authorities on halakha. Consequently, a potential problem that emerges from the halakhic discourse on assisted reproductive technologies is that this set of symbolically-loaded medical procedures takes place within the female body, yet is dictated by the tractates ofa male-dominated religious legal system. The purpose of this paper, then, is to utilize feminist critiques of gender bias in legal systems to critically analyze Orthodox rabbinic discourse on assisted reproductive technologies. Due the unique cultural situation in Israel, which boasts a relatively strong Modern Orthodox presence, a pro-natal government, and unparalleled access to cheap fertility treatments for its citizens, this research will also reflect on the social and political ramifications rabbinic rulings have on the assisted reproductive scene in Israel. Additionally, this paper will reflect on the importance of working within the halakhic system to achieve greater gender equality, and explore potential options for Orthodox feminists to realize that goal.