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 Members of Congress, Prof. Sinha discussed the relevance of Reconstruction to contemporary politics, and to the issues Americans face today.
Press
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.”
Dr. Phil Goduti on JFK’s Vision for World Peace
Recent Ph.D. Phil Goduti has written a compelling article for The Conversation, “The unfinished business of John F. Kennedy’s vision for world peace”, drawing on the dissertation he defended last month. 
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.”
“Happy Birthday, Hip-Hop”: Three Albums with Prof. Jeffrey Ogbar
In a twist on “Three Books” to honor the 50th birthday of hip-hop, Professor Jeffrey Ogbar sounds off on one classic, one essential, and one of his favorite hip-hop albums in an article for UConn Magazine, “Happy Birthday, Hip-Hop.”
In addition to being a UConn history professor, he is also the director of the Center for the Study of Popular Music. He has written and taught extensively on the role of hip-hop in the United States with his book, Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap, and his popular course, “Hip-Hop, Politics, and Youth Culture in America.”
McElya in the Post on Removal of Arlington’s Confederate Memorial
Prof. Micki McElya provides meaningful commentary and historical context on the removal of and plans for the Arlington Memorial’s Confederate statue in the Washington Post article, “Youngkin directs VMI to accept controversial Confederate statue.” The piece, written by Joe Hein and Ian Shapiro, discusses Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s request for the Virginia Military Institute to accept responsibility for the placement at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park.
McElya’s book, The Politics of Mourning: Death and Honor in Arlington National Ceremony (a Pulitzer Prize finalist) highlights the role of Arlington Cemetery as the most influential site of politicized national identity formation in the United States. Her scholarly work provides important context for understanding the removal and the continued education necessary to clarify, as McElya noted, “the toxic misrepresentations of slavery, the Confederacy, and the Civil War the monument represents.”
