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History
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.
100 years of insulin
100 years of insulin
On July 27, 1921, Canadian doctors Frederick Banting and Charles Best successfully isolated the hormone insulin, one of the most important breakthroughs in treating diabetes. Experts from around the University share their thoughts on the medical triumph on the 100th anniversary.
Digging into the government report on UFOs
Digging into the government report on UFOs
In a Q&A, historian of science Kate Dorsch illuminates the history behind reporting and investigating UFO sightings and contextualizes the new government report on such phenomena.
Supreme Court decision rules Arizona’s laws constitutional
Supreme Court decision rules Arizona’s laws constitutional
In Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, the Supreme Court ruled that Arizona’s election laws—pertaining to out of precinct ballots and whether or not third parties can pick up and deliver absentee ballots—do not violate the Voting Rights Act.
In the News
Chronicle of Higher Education
Stop treating students like babies
Jonathan Zimmerman of the Graduate School of Education organized an in-person 2016 discussion between Penn students and Republican students at Cairn University to foster productive conversation and find common ground.
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CBS News
Presidential historian assesses Trump’s 2024 win
Mary Frances Berry of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential victory and upcoming second term.
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New Republic
The bad politics of bad posture
In her book “Slouch,” Beth Linker of the School of Arts & Sciences outlines how societal pressures have driven huge swaths of people to embrace falsehoods about posture.
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MSNBC
Time will tell if Kamala Harris made the right choice by picking Tim Walz
In an opinion essay, Brian Rosenwald of the School of Arts & Sciences outlines the thought process behind past picks for vice-presidential running mates.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
This should be our response to Donald Trump’s comments that ‘you won’t have to vote anymore’
In an opinion article, Jonathan Zimmerman of the Graduate School of Education argues that voting should be mandatory.
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University World News
The local democratic mission of HE: Lessons from the U.S.
A paper edited by Ira Harkavy and Rita A. Hodges of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships examines how urban universities can further democracy and inclusion by working with their local communities.
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