Modern medicine in its colonial and postcolonial history has long imagined itself in opposition to ritual and religious healing and as progress over “traditional” medicine. http://newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2012/05/09/anthropology/?quad=UR&dow=Wed
On the triangle of land between Vine Street, Cross Street, and Knowles Avenue (known as the Beman Triangle), a community of African Americans began to build houses from the mid-19th century on land owned by one of their community, Leveret Beman. Although few above-ground traces now suggest the presence of this community, material about their … Read more
Buried beneath you as you walk the streets of Middletown is the residue of former residents. Mostly consisting of fragments of ceramics, glass, and other objects, these hold the potential to begin to unlock the day-to-day history of their past owners and users.
Particular focus will be given this semester to theater programs that have been developed for prison populations, and students will have the opportunity to create collaborative performance projects in local prisons. Pedagogical principles will be based on the theater techniques of Augusto Boal. Collaboratively devised performance scripts will be adapted from classical literature (Shakespeare, Dante, … Read more
“A Clash of Civilizations: Wangunk and Colonial Relations in the 17th and 18th Century in Middletown and Portland Connecticut” by Eli Scherer An examination of relations between the Wangunk Indians and white settlers in Middletown, Connecticut during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is not an extensive account of life for either group nor is … Read more
“Revolutions in Agriculture in Middlesex County, Connecticut during the Mid 19th Century” by Rachel Ostlund The mid-19th century marked the beginning of organized agricultural societies, experiment stations, agricultural schools and extension centers. During this time period, farms around Middletown, Connecticut experienced many of the same changes in agriculture as the rest of New England. However, … Read more
“Two Years of Protest: Divestment at Wesleyan University, 1988-1990” by Quinn Hechtkopf From 1978 until 1991, Wesleyan University students protested vigorously against the school’s investment in businesses operating in South Africa. This campaign, known as “divestment”, was part of a nation-wide university campaign to stop universities from investing in the racist Apartheid regime of South … Read more
“Policing A New Middletown: Updating The Force At The Turn of The 20th Century” by Nickolas Garin The turn of the 20th century marked an important period for both the Middletown police force and the city itself. As immigrants came to Middletown, the city increased both in size and ethnic diversity. During this period the … Read more
“The War that Came Home: The Individuals that personalized the 1918 influenza epidemic in Middletown, Connecticut” by Stephanie Savas A look at the 1918 influenza epidemic that first struck China and Spain in February and swept throughout Europe, reaching the shores of North America in the early spring. The epidemic was extremely massive, killing an … Read more
“The Search for Space in an Era of Sprawl: A Study on the Recent Changes in the Landscape of Middletown, Connecticut” by Sylvia Ryerson A look at the upsurge of residential developments in Middletown in the past quarter-century, and the methods employed to conserve open spaces and work against the spread of exurban sprawl. The … Read more
