9.18
Kristen de Groot
News Officer
krisde@upenn.edu
History
The Divine Comedy’s ‘universal message’
The Divine Comedy’s ‘universal message’
Seven centuries years after Dante Alighieri's death on Sept. 14, 1321, his “Divine Comedy,” a poem in which an autobiographical protagonist journeys through hell, purgatory, and paradise, is still widely influential.
Protecting and celebrating civil rights heritage and Black histories
Protecting and celebrating civil rights heritage and Black histories
Launched last fall, Penn’s Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights sites is fostering new and ongoing partnerships while preserving the legacy of civil rights in the U.S.
Penn commemorates 20th anniversary of 9/11
On Friday, the University community gathered at the Love Statue on campus to remember the precious lives of those lost on that tragic day in 2001.
Archiving empire with religious studies’ Megan Robb
Archiving empire with religious studies’ Megan Robb
A long-unseen archive centered on an 18th-century Mughal woman will soon be publicly accessible, thanks to the work of religious studies professor Megan Robb of the School of Arts & Sciences and a team of Penn students.
Harun Küçük brings science, philosophy, and history to the Middle East Center
Harun Küçük brings science, philosophy, and history to the Middle East Center
The newly appointed faculty director says his aim “first and foremost is to maintain all the good things that the Center’s already doing.”
Daniel Morales-Armstrong’s ‘Inclusive City’
The William Fontaine Fellow of Africana Studies and History helms a course designed to lead students in a collaborative engagement with a local Philadelphian community.
African American in the ‘raceless’ Soviet Union
African American in the ‘raceless’ Soviet Union
History Ph.D. candidate Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon’s work looks at how the African American experience in the Soviet Union shaped Black identity and how the presence of people of color shaped Soviet understandings of race.
Vitality in diaspora: Cheikh Anta Babou on Senegalese Murid communities
Vitality in diaspora: Cheikh Anta Babou on Senegalese Murid communities
In his new book, Cheikh Anta Babou, the associate professor of history captures the spirit of the Senegalese Murid diaspora.
Metal artifacts in Southeast Asia challenge long-held archaeological theory
Metal artifacts in Southeast Asia challenge long-held archaeological theory
According to the Penn Museum’s Joyce White and Elizabeth Hamilton, prehistoric communities, rather than the ruling elites, in Thailand were the deciders in how to use metal resources.
Unexpected finds bring fresh excitement to the archives
Unexpected finds bring fresh excitement to the archives
Stacey C. Peeples’ discovery of a trove of historic papers, newspaper clippings, and various ephemera adds to the rich history she curates as lead archivist at Pennsylvania Hospital.
Media Contact
In the News
Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane (WHYY-FM)
Never Forget: Collective memory and trauma on the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11th
Barbie Zelizer of the Annenberg School for Communication spoke about the lasting impact of 9/11 imagery on America’s collective memory.
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NPR
Afro-Cubans come out in droves to protest government
Amalia Dache of the Graduate School of Education spoke about the history of racial disparities and injustices in Cuba. “When we're thinking about global solidarity with Black people, especially right now, we need all hands on deck,” she said.
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Slate.com
Fear of a Black Cuban planet
Amalia Dache of the Graduate School of Education was interviewed about Cuba’s recent uprisings and its long history of Black resistance. In the 1960s, the Communist government said it would eradicate racism. “It’s counterrevolutionary to talk about Black history in Cuba, to engage Black history,” she said.
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The Atlantic
When the applause just won’t end
Cristina Bicchieri of the School of Arts & Sciences said the idea of a standing ovation stems from an ancient Roman “sign of respect” for generals returning battle.
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Science
Will COVID-19 change science? Past pandemics offer clues
David Barnes of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about COVID-19 and how pandemics can shape policy. While the 1918 flu was somewhat forgotten, HIV/AIDs has had a lasting impact. The difference, Barnes said, “was activists who were organized and persistent, really beyond anything our society had ever seen.”
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NPR
Politics Monday: America has wrestled with truth since its founding
Sophia Rosenfeld of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the concept of truth and its role in democracy. The founding fathers “talked a lot about truth and claimed to have a big commitment to a government that both was founded on truth and would help produce truth,” she said. “But here’s the catch: they never gave any one body or person or even method as the way of getting there.”
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