Tag: Vera Keller

Wael Ghonim: Symbolic Figure vs. Representative Publicity

Presenters: Zeph Schafer, Mark Plumlee and Maia Salomon

Mentor: Vera Keller

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A5 Perceptions of Cultural Change

Location: Oak Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

This study emerged from an honors college seminar examining how public spheres began to form throughout the premodern era. Our research was informed by works such as German sociologist, Jurgen Habermas. Habermas proposed the idea of representative publicity to discuss the relationship between symbolic individuals and an emerging publicity. Informed by Habermas’s theories, we discussed the symbolic personhood of Wael Ghonim on the Egyptian revolution. As a symbolic figure who gave a face to the revolution, his release from jail played a pivotal role in the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. We looked at news articles and videos of the Revolution, and contrasted Ghonim’s role as a symbolic figure with the role of pre-modern monarchs in public displays of their body. Ghonim’s role in the revolution showed the role of a physical body in modern democratic revolutions.

Violence and Graphic Symbols in the Arab Spring

Presenters: Kathryn Carpenter and Eva Bertoglio

Mentor: Vera Keller

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A5 Perceptions of Cultural Change

Location: Oak Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

Our research was based on ideas of the public sphere in the last five hundred years that were discussed in HC 232, “Multiple Modernities, Ottoman and Early Modern Europe 1450-present”. We chose to focus on revolutions in the Arab Spring, and the body politic concept. We decided to discuss violence in relation to the body politic, and the way violence and violent symbols were employed in the Arab Spring. Drawing upon the ideas of the German sociologist Jurgen Habermas and historian Nina Berman, we analyzed the role of the body politic since the 16th century. We used photos, diagrams, and videos to represent different aspects of the revolutions and violence within them. We found that violence was brought into play by both the governing bodies and the general public, and symbolic violence and physical violence were both used to further the platforms of both parties.

Revolutionary War Ads and the Public Sphere

Presenters: Jordan Pratt and Daniel Shaver

Mentor: Vera Keller

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A2 Lost Voices

Location: Maple Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

In the Revolutionary War era, the public sphere was not only represented by the articles written in the newspapers but also in the advertisements surrounding them. Elizabeth L. Eisenstein’s writings about the print revolution and its effect on the way people inter- act with each other create a fascinating dialogue about the history of the book and the role advertisements play. Our study proves that the history of the book is not only relevant to the way in which we conceptualize famous authors and great works but also to the smaller microcosms of everyday individuals within the Revolutionary War society. To draw these connections, we read through the Revolutionary War era newspapers in the UO Special Collections room. Through careful analysis we discovered patterns within the popular advertisements. These advertisements support Eisenstein’s points surrounding public celebrity as well as Jürgen Habermas’ definition of a public sphere.

“Join, or Die”: The Binding of a Nation through the Evolution of a Symbol

Presenters: Mathew Beattie and Grant Aman

Mentor: Vera Keller

AM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: M5 Messaging and Performance

Location: Rogue Room

Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm

This study of the Pre-Revolutionary War symbol, Join or Die, emerged from a Honors College Seminar of the study on the history of the emergence of public sphere and its effect on media. The American symbol “Join or Die” bound the colonies together politically and rhetorically, creating a new medium of discourse in the American public sphere. “Join or Die” alluded to a long history of metaphors of the body politic, but at the same time it transformed such metaphors in a more egalitarian direction. “Join or Die” precipitated a flood of political cartoons that formed an important part of political debates leading up to and during the early Revolution. We studied the continued allusions to the “Join or Die” symbol as well as transformations and re-interpretations of it. We also noted the continued deployment and re-interpretation of “Join or Die” in contemporary Tea Party demonstrations. Our study illuminates the power of visual print media to form a sphere for debate, whether or not the interpretation of those media remains constant. We suggest that the ability of visual media to offer multiple interpretations can in fact contribute to the vibrancy of public dialogue.

Occupy Wall Street and the Transformation of the Public Sphere

Presenters: Madeleine Dunkelberg, Aaron Honn and Hailey Chamberlain

Mentor: Vera Keller

AM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: M3 The Grip of Money and Food

Location: Maple Room

Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm

We examined the formation and manipulation of the public sphere and that concept’s relation to the current Occupy Wall Street movement. Theories of the development of the modern public sphere, particularly the work of German sociologist Jürgen Habermas, informed our work. We focused on his theory that representative publicity facilitated the creation of the public sphere and formed our own concept of inverse representative publicity, applying that to Occupy Wall Street. We compared the roles of representative publicity and the public sphere in the Occupy movement and the French Revolution. To illustrate how Occupy leaders formed an inverse representative publicity, we analyzed Occupy’s use of new, virtual media such as Twitter, as well as the symbolism incorporated in their propaganda posters. Viewing Occupy Wall Street through the lens of the history of the public sphere, we found a correlation between Occupy Wall Street’s goals: all could be construed as part of a movement to transform the public sphere.

Commandeering the Public Voice: Government and Media

Presenters: Sheetal Krishnakumar, Grace-Ellen Mahoney and Keaton Kell

Mentor: Vera Keller

AM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: M2 Chaos in the Clouds

Location: Alsea Room

Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm

The role of the state in supporting avenues of public expression during the emergence of the public sphere in the 17th century has remained relatively unexplored. A historical analysis of this role will allow us to better examine current interactions between the state and the public sphere. By examining primary documents from 17th century France in the original language, and television and newspapers during the Arab Spring in both Morocco and Egypt, we explored how government can maintain control of the public as long as its image remains that of a benevolent and protective body. However, when the government loses the trust of the people, by too obviously fabricating the news or acting too slowly, no amount of media intervention can protect it from revolution. We pay particular attention to the point where the public becomes aware of this fabrication. The importance of this connection between early modern history and history that is still unfolding as this research is being done is clear. Understanding how media can affect countries, revolutions, and individuals sheds light on the politics that exist around us.

How Can We Prevent Sexual Assault on Our Campus? A Comprehensive History of Safe Ride and a Plan for the Future

Presenter: Hailey Chamberlain

Mentor: Vera Keller

Oral Presentation

Major: Women’s and Gender Studies

My research question is: Based on what we know about sexual assault, is Safe Ride effective in the fight against sexual assault? For my project, I first researched what we know about sexual assault on campuses, and how campuses have been responding to sexual assault. I looked at peer reviewed journals and papers which gave information about the legal process surrounding sexual assault, and talked about how Oregon schools have been responding.

Next, I conducted interviews with activists on campus. I asked what they know about Safe Ride, and what we need to be doing to stop campus assault. I also did archival research to learn more about Safe Ride’s history. Because I am a current member of the core staff at Safe Ride, I had access to the staff for interviews and their records. My archival research included looking at the amount of rides Safe Ride has given in the last few years. I also looked at Safe Ride’s collection of compiled articles about them since 1985. I looked at records of the grievances that were filed against Safe Ride before they became gender inclusive, in addition to articles about Safe Ride on the Emerald website.

Lastly, I conducted research on what schools have been doing to fight sexual assault. I looked at peer reviewed journals and papers through the library databases. I looked for papers that did research on what schools had already been doing and what affect there was. In my research I’ve concluded that schools that focus on three things are the most successful. The first is educating students on how to be effective bystanders, the second is having accessible resources, and the third is having sanctions in place to respond to sexual assault. I used this information to formulate a plan for the university and for Safe Ride, to encourage both to work together to provide the necessary resources to students.

Art Destined For Destruction: Uncovering the Origin of the Anthropomorphic Mask in the Museum of Natural and Cultural History’s Alice Henson Ernst Collection

Presenter(s): Hannah Solheim − Economics, Mathematics

Faculty Mentor(s): Vera Keller

Oral Session 4O

Research Area: Social Science

The origin of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History’s Anthropomorphic Mask (Item #2-1054) has been a mystery for decades. The museum purchased the mask from Alice Henson Ernst in 1938. However, little was known about how Ernst acquired the mask or where it originated. First, I compared the mask’s morphological traits to typical mask characteristics from different northwest coast Native American tribes, as reported in secondary literature. Many of the mask’s features are characteristic of the Kwakwaka’wakw People, residing on the British Columbian coast. The mask’s color scheme, protruding eyes, exaggerated mouth, and use of discontinuous black lines of varying thickness all point to Kwakwaka’wakw origins. This is a particular type of Kwakwaka’wakw mask called an Atlakim mask. These masks were hastily crafted and crudely painted, perhaps explaining the visible brush strokes in the paint. These masks were not meant to last—they were worn for four years in dancing series and then burnt. Perhaps this mask narrowly escaped being devoured by a fire, as evidenced by the mask’s singed cheek. Next, I examined the museum’s accession records and the Alice Henson Ernst Papers to determine how and when Ernst acquired the mask. A research proposal reveals that in August 1938, Ernst travelled to Fort Rupert to do field work among the Kwakwaka’wakw People. Ernst’s correspondence suggests that she purchased the mask from a tribe member named Harry. The Alice Henson Ernst Papers, housed in Special Collections, hold the key to identifying more masks in the Museum’s Collection.

Sa’di and the Safavid: The Material Culture of a Treasured Persian Manuscript Now at UO

Presenter(s): Elmira Louie − Comparative Literature, English

Faculty Mentor(s): Vera Keller

Oral Session 3O

Research Area: Humanities

This talk offers a material cultural analysis of a hitherto unstudied Persian manuscript in UO’s collection, identifying the city and cultural context of its production. This manuscript went on an incredible journey. In 1615 CE, the Burgess MS 43 manuscript of Sa’di’s Gulistan and Bustan was created in Persia. At some point in its life, the manuscript was transported to Europe, where the original Persian leather binding was swapped for a more European style: soft, red velvet with two silver clasps. According to a book seller’s catalogue entry, this manuscript once belonged to John Ruskin, the preeminent art theorist of Victorian England; the binding of the manuscript, which its not typical for Persian bindings, suggests the Orientalist lens through which it was once viewed. Using the approaches of material culture studies and the history of the book, this talk recoups the manuscript from its Orientalist past and restores it to its original culture of production and consumption in the Safavid book arts. Taking a journey back to the 17th century Persian context reveals that this manuscript was created by a team of artists, illuminators, and scribes in a Shiraz kitabkhana for a member of the wealthy elite.

William Morris as Collector: Analyzing Two Volumes in the Special Collections University Archives

Presenter(s): Sadie Kavalier − Accounting

Faculty Mentor(s): Vera Keller

Oral Session 3SW

Research Area: History

William Morris wore many hats: publisher, socialist advocate, craftsman, poet. However, Morris’ private library remains one of the most understudied aspects of his illustrious career. We hold two volumes from his own library in our SCUA collection, which spawned this research into the driving factors behind his choice of books for his personal collection. Through an analysis of both these volumes and those that Morris printed himself at the Kelmscott Press, I have taken a holistic approach to analyzing these copies for their content, typography, and imagery. Further analysis revealed that the type of these books
is similar with Morris’ gothic preferences and that the main reason for his purchase of them was an affinity for the style of their respective publishers, Wynkyn de Worde and Johannes Mentelin. This research offers a glimpse into the mind of William Morris as collector and helps illuminate the preferences that drove the selection of his private library.