On September 25, Prof. Manisha Sinha visited Washington D.C., where she discussed her new book, The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920, as part of the Congressional Dialogue series. Speaking before an audience of more than two hundred congresspeople, Prof. Sinha discussed the relevance of Reconstruction to contemporary politics, and to the issues Americans face today.
Faculty
Manisha Sinha Pens Piece for American Kahani
Jason Chang, First Head of New Social and Critical Inquiry Dept.
On August 28th, 2024, Professor Jason Chang, professor of History and Asian American Studies and Director of Asian and Asian American Studies, became the head of the new Social and Critical Inquiry Department. The department brings together the areas of American Studies, Asian and Asian American Studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, under the motto, “Transformation takes social and critical inquiry”. The department prioritizes education, community partnerships and engaged research, and university service, with research focused around “study social and cultural formations and their impact on public life”.
As new department head, Professor Chang believes part of the emphasis of the department is on, “leveraging student experiences and faculty research so that the impact is not just on campus but in communities”. In the next five years, the department hopes to offer “a transformative educational experience that connects students to communities and addresses important societal problems in Connecticut and beyond”.
Professor’s Chang’s work as department head, and the goals of the new department are featured in UConn Today’s article, “Meet Jason Chang, First Head of New Social and Critical Inquiry Department”.
Prof. Chang Appointed by Lamont to Hate Crimes Advisory Council
Prof. Jason O. Chang has been selected as one of the twenty-five people appointed by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont to serve as members of the newly formed Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council.
Harvard Gazette on Prof. Manisha Sinha
Prof. Manisha Sinha’s recent talk at the event “The Past, Present, and Future of American Democracy” was discussed in the Harvard Gazette under the headline: “Historian sees a warning for today in post-Civil War U.S.”
Deirdre Cooper-Owens in “The Cancer Detectives” on PBS
Dr. Cooper-Owens participated in the PBS documentary, The Cancer Detective. The documentary follows the previously untold story of the war on cervical cancer.
Her research interests include the history of medicine, slavery, and women in the 19th century United States. She is currently working on a biography of Harriet Tubman that examines the revolutionary through the lens of disability and a monograph about the history of race, medical discovery, and the C-section.
Prof Ogbar’s “America’s Black Capital” Talk Broadcast Over C-Span
Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar gave a talk on his new book, America’s Black Capital: How African Americans Remade Atlanta in the Shadow of the Confederacy at the Atlanta Center in January.
The event was then broadcast over C-Span.
America’s Black Capital chronicles how African American’s pushed back against Confederate ideology and transformed Atlanta into today’s “Black Mecca.”
Recent Department Achievements
A hearty congratulations to our faculty and graduate students on their wonderful recent awards and achievements!
Katie Angelica has accepted a position for next year as Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Purdue University – Fort Wayne.
Daniela Dominguez Tavares has won a Greenhouse Studios Graduate Fellowship for 24-25.
Yusuf Mansoor has won a UCHI Draper Dissertation Fellowship for 24-25.
David Evans has had an article drawing from his long-ago 5102 paper, which later become a key part of his dissertation, accepted by the prestigious journal Cold War History.
Peter Zarrow and Hana Maruyama have received UCHI Faculty Fellowships for 24-25; Peter Lavelle has won a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.
Helen Rozwadowski received the John Gardner Award from the Mystic Seaport.
Manisha Sinha on American Democracy April 4th
Prof. Manisha Sinha will take part in a panel titled “The Past, Present, and Future of American Democracy,” on Thursday, April 4th at the Thompson Room, Barker Center at Harvard University from 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. 
The event will be moderated by Lisa McGirr (Warren Center Director). The panelists are: Carol Anderson (Emory), Daniel Ziblatt (Harvard), Gary Gerstle (Cambridge University), Manisha Sinha (Univ. of Connecticut). There is no paper or supplemental reading for this event.
This is co-sponsored by the Warren Center, American Studies, Department of History, Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, and the Center For American Political Studies.
What is a Disaster?: Andy Horowitz and Jacob A. C. Remes
On Thursday, April 4th at 6 p.m. Connecticut State Historian and UConn History Professor Andy Horowitz will be in conversation with Jacob A. C. Remes at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History titled “What is a Disaster?”
From the event site:
“Floods and earthquakes, wars and famines, engineering failures and economic collapses — these frightening events seem to define modern life. We name them “disasters.” But what makes a disaster different from other periods of time? In a freewheeling conversation, two leading scholars in the field of disaster studies will consider events in Connecticut history and beyond, thinking out loud together about why some kinds of bad news are considered disasters while others are not, and what difference it makes.”
Find more information here.