Tag: Ian McNeely

The Empire’s New Clothes: The Establishment Of Social Sciences in Post-War Academia and Its Implication For British Colonial Policy

Presenter(s): Caroline Richelsen − History, Political Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Ian McNeely

Oral Session 3SW

Research Area: Social Science, History

In the aftermath of the Second World War, universities in Britain were tapped as a potential training ground for the next generation of experts who could support the British Empire, as it transitioned from a Great Power to a decolonized state.
This project seeks to examine the possible correlation between changes in British foreign policy and development in higher education; analyzing how the demands of the British Empire informed the curriculum and direction of new disciplines in British Universities. To do so, this project uses SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), of the University of London, as a case study to showcase the interaction between the political agenda of the British government and the institution itself. In terms of formatting, the findings will be presented in an essay estimated around 70 to 80 pages, excluding a reference list and infographics, and relies on the consultation of primary sources such as government reports, financial- and personal accounts. Early findings have confirmed a direct correlation between the development of new departments and the needs of the state, as the transition from the post-war environment to the Cold War created a demand for experts well-versed in Oriental and East European languages and culture. The subject of this inquiry is of value because it illustrates how certain academic traditions are rooted in the political ambitions of states seeking to use knowledge to impose their worldviews on overseas territories; creating disciplines with predetermined biases which remain prevalent in institutions today.

“Come One. Come All.” Introduction to the “Reacting to the Past Course” Greenwich Village 1913 (HIST 411)

Presenter(s): Katilyn Champoux

Co-presenter: Veronica Jones, Paige Kosa, Hunter Moen, Gwynyth Pass, Maddie Pellman, Camille Titus, Tabitha Todd

Faculty Mentor(s): Dorothee Ostmeier & Ian McNeely

Oral Session 5 O

Step into Greenwich Village in the year 1913 and become a bohemian thinker! Eight students from HST 411 “Reacting to the Past,” co-taught by Professors Dorothee Ostmeier, German and Folklore and Public Culture, and Ian McNeely, History and head of GERSCAN, will simulate vivid debates between the labor movement, women’s suffrage and bohemian intellectuals around 1913. Our lecture hall will turn into Polly’s restaurant at Greenwich Village, and Polly Holladay, bohemian business owner and anarchic thinker, and Mabel Dodge, salonniere and wealthy American patron of the arts, will invite their bourgeois cliental (audience) to witness the debates between union and feminist activists. While searching for true meanings of liberty and free speech everyone at Polly’s is eager to move bourgeoise sympathizers towards actions that overcome censorship, social and political threats to freedom and civilian rights. In the end, the audience will be invited to vote for empowering suffrage or unionists.

Our program will conclude with comments and reflections of individual students about their critical experiences with the game, how it inspired their research and how research and game are connected to productively develop a deeper and more personal understanding of a particular moment in time.