American Studies

Reading and discussion with Willie Carver, author of Gay Poems for Red States and Tore All to Pieces. Q & A to follow.

The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs program on Global and International History presents “Slavery, Abolition, and the Antebellum Origins of Modern Business Ethics” with Seth Rockman, the George L. Littlefield Professor of American History and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Brown University.

Remarks and awards for American Studies department seniors and their families.

Location: American Studies Conference Room, Axinn Center

In 1931, Vermont passed a sterilization law aimed at curbing what it saw as “undesirable” traits in its population. But who, exactly, was this law applied to — and why? While it is documented that this law primarily targeted people of low socioeconomic standing, and those who were institutionalized and disabled, many instead claim that the program disproportionately affected Indigenous people—a claim which evidence does not support.

White, disabled, and genderqueer, Eli Clare lives near Lake Champlain in unceded Abenaki territory (also known as Vermont) where he writes and proudly claims a penchant for rabble-rousing. He has written two books of essays, the award-winning Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure and Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation, and a collection of poetry, The Marrow’s Telling: Words in Motion.

A virtual book talk with author Sunara “Sunny” Taylor, an American academic, painter, writer and activist for disability and animal rights. 

Co-Sponsored by the Program in American Studies, Environmental Studies, Advisory Group on Disability Access and Inclusion, and the Academic Speaker Supplement Fund.

Virtual event, open to the public. Registration is required.
https://middlebury.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_y4FDHNthSpOVOJM2O-HG7g

J Finley, Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Pomona College, will be discussing her exciting new book, Sass: Black Women’s Humor and Humanity (UNC, 2024). Dr. Finley will offer an overview of the book and the methodologies of studying the genre of stand-up comedy. Professor Finley was formerly a member of the American Studies Program at Middlebury College and critical in founding Black Studies at the College. 

The Middle of Somewhere: Place Attachment and the Geographies of Being
Place attachment is a burgeoning field of scholarship that investigates place identities and their relation to mobility and migration. Professor Alexander Diener’s research project considers people’s varied capacities to make and remake place attachments, and how this shapes everyday routines, social interactions, major life choices, and identities at different scales. His talk will engage with topics such as home/homeland, mobility/immobility, biological geographies, sacred place, and moral geographies.

Objects of Wonder
In the upcoming exhibition Objects of Wonder, students, faculty, staff, and alumni offer an intersection of research, art, history, and academia. These objects are curious snapshots-sneak peeks at the varied interests and endeavors present across this campus. Free and open to the public. Johnson Exhibition Gallery, Johnson Memorial Building room 208.

More information can be found on the English Department News and Events webpage