anthropology

Meredith Power, left, and Susan Graham, right, handle the century-old photographs.

Handle with care—students help digitize and rehouse thousands of historical photos

A nine-year-old stands at the mouth of a coal mine covered in coal dust, wearing a small headlamp. A woman holds her baby on her lap as she packs boxes in a warehouse along with her 5-, 8-, and 12-year-olds. These are just two of thousands of evocative black-and white historical photographs handled by Special Collections interns Meredith Power ’21, history, a public history graduate student, and Gabe Morrison ’23, anthropology. Along with library staff members, these two worked diligently to ensure that the images of the families and children who lived through these harrowing work conditions are accessible to… Continue Reading Handle with care—students help digitize and rehouse thousands of historical photos

a group of people in Minnie Mouse ears jumps in front of an exhibit that says Mirror, Mirror

Embarking on ‘Happily Ever After’ 

By Roni Rosenthal For those who grew up—or still are—spellbound by movies like Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, and The Lion King, you are part of what some historians dub the “Disney Generation.” Your childhood joins forces with a collective nostalgia that weaves Disney’s enchanting tales into our very own identities. In a country with many competing cultural icons, Disney—for better or worse—remains a singular unifying brand for anyone who spent their childhood in the U.S. Smithsonian museum specialist and curator Bethanee Bemis ’09, history and anthropology, M.A. ’11, history, is an expert in weaving narratives with identity and… Continue Reading Embarking on ‘Happily Ever After’ 

Elle Kreiner sits and talks while Chicken, an amazon parrot, preens himself

Bird Brainiac

At UMBC, we welcome Retrievers of all stripes… and feathers. Spotted on campus recently enjoying student life is an 87-year-old yellow crowned amazon parrot named Chicken. Yes, you read that right, Chicken.  Elle Kreiner ’20, anthropology, a current master’s student in applied sociology, rescued the bird in 2017 after his long-term caretaker passed away and the family wasn’t able to keep him. Despite coming to campus to spread his wings (metaphorically—Chicken doesn’t enjoy flying), Kreiner doesn’t believe their parrot would make a great student, although he does speak three languages.  Prior to his time with Kreiner, Chicken lived in pre–World… Continue Reading Bird Brainiac

Five adults stand outside next to each other on a pathway. Fulbright.

UMBC’s 2022 Fulbright student scholars will travel the world to explore difficult questions

Nine recent UMBC graduates and alumni will soon travel to the UK, El Salvador, Kuwait, France, Colombia, Taiwan, South Korea, and Germany as 2022 Fulbright U.S. Student scholars. They include emerging leaders in education, astrophysics, cybersecurity, human rights, and more, and they are excited to explore difficult questions through fresh perspectives. Continue Reading UMBC’s 2022 Fulbright student scholars will travel the world to explore difficult questions

dancers

The Martinican bèlè dance – a celebration of land, spirit and liberation

Camee Maddox-Wingfield, sociology, anthropology, and public health, first encountered bèlè as a graduate student in anthropology, conducting fieldwork in Martinique. As a former dancer, Maddox-Wingfield was drawn to how bèlè drummers, dancers, and singers experience spiritual and cultural freedom. Continue Reading The Martinican bèlè dance – a celebration of land, spirit and liberation

Round-Up: UMBC in the News, 7/25

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community. Roy Meyers, Political Science on MarylandReporter.com Leslie Morgan, Sociology and Anthropology, in The Baltimore Beacon Nicole King, American Studies, in City Paper Thomas Schaller, Political Science, Op-Ed in The Baltimore Sun Paul Smith, Chemistry, in The Baltimore Sun Read more great news here!

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