Research
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My dissertation examines the relationship between early American curiosities and narratives, particularly wonder tales, hoaxes, and legends from 1780-1900. I’m very interested in forms of commodification that involve representation of cultures, disabilities, and abnormalities in both humans and automata.
I believe that in early American society, a variety of narratives were woven into the collection, display, and marketing of curiosities. These narratives, both literary and physical, masked larger issues and gave the American public the opportunity to negotiate through newly emerging issues of class, gender, sexuality, race, industrialization, science, and cosmopolitanism. Curiosity collections often acted as a gage for an individual’s knowledge of science and philosophy, and Philosophical societies of ‘learned men’ began to form, centering on the acquisition of ‘curiosities’. Exhibitions that featured foreign peoples and automata were often displayed in a manner that gave spectators a sense of national and racial superiority. On a larger scale, Early American Museums were criticized by European museums for having excess focus on entertainment, unscientific materials, unorganized presentation, and a surfeit of miscellany.
I am exploring various sites of contest that intentionally convey both similar and contradictory. During this period, particularly during periods of social change, notions of wonder were deeply embedded in public discourse. The tendency towards narratives of wonder during the early American period can be seen as both shaping and reflecting early American notions of the ideal and normal.The intersection between spectator (observation) and display (performance) can also be seen through the examination of displays such as the Panorama, Diarama, Wunderkammern, and projected images such as the Magic Lantern (Laterna Magica).My primary focus is on remarkable beings: 1. People (Freaks, Human Anomalies, Human Displays/Exhibits and 2. Remarkable devices of wonder (automata, waxworks).
I’m currently writing three field statements:
1. History of the Study of the Marvelous
This field statement will examine the ways in which folklorists have examined the spectacle, the monstrous, wonder, prodigies, teratology, etc. particularly through narratives both physical and literary. I will examine the literary study of wonder from the earliest appearances in scholarly discourse, but will concentrate on the period from the late 18th century to the present. I will examine how this discourse is intertwined with the construction of modernity and explore how the academic discipline of folklore (and at times popular antiquities) has treated the topic of the spectacle and wonder.
2. History of Scientific Collections
This field statement is an examination of the history of Scientific Collection starting in Europe and leading into the United States. I will follow the rise of the Medical Museum, the formation of Cabinets of Curiosities, and Museums and Exhibitions of Curiosities and Oddities. This statement will cover a large historical period ending in the 20th century and will follow the development of collections of both natural history and devices of wonder, (and perhaps scientific instrumentation). Some major collectors are: Ulisse Aldrovandi, Ole Worm, C.W. Peale, and more recently P.T. Barnum.
3. Popular Amusements in Early American History: Meeting the “Other” in America
This field statement will explore early American amusements from about 1770-to 1910. The focus will be placed on exhibits that display machines (automata) as well as those with disabilities. The display of the body, both human and machine, as well as the presence of tourism will be considered.
Kancil the Trickster: A Vehicle for Expression in the Malay World
My M.A. Thesis is titled “Kancil the Trickster: A Vehicle for Expression in the Malay World”
A short abstract follows:
The mouse-deer, or kancil (in Indonesian), is a much-loved trickster found throughout the Malay world. The tiny kancil is neither a mouse nor a deer, but is known in the scientific circle as Tragulas Javanicus. The heroism of the kancil in the fictional realm parallels the pygmy deer’s cunning behavior in the real world. Using a number of texts, including a seventeenth century manuscript, many modern children’s books, and several oral tales, the kancil is seen as a vehicle for expressing not only social ideals, but also a vast array of psychological, cultural, ethnic, and moral issues within Indonesia and Malaysia. There is a distinct difference between the oral and printed versions. Because of his cunning and shrewd manner, the kancil character remains a central folk figure in representing the voice of the people. The turbulent politics of Indonesia, tempts the people into finding a voice, or a folk hero to claim as their own. Kancil’s behavior may reflect the opposite of accepted norms in order to relieve a suppressed tension, he may be used to expose political and ethnic conflicts, or for nationalistic purposes. His popular character may also be used to ‘legitimize’ authority, and conversely, the kancil’s voice can be used as political satire. Equally, his character is strengthened by incorporating local surroundings and beliefs, and the tales themselves may reflect the dominant religion in the area where the tale was told. I also analyze the kancil’s tendency to behave violently towards women. From a psychoanalytical perspective, the kancil can be seen as a way to express a suppressed ‘id’. The kancil’s personality is like that of a chameleon— it changes within the context of the story, within the culture, and within the voice of the story-teller.
Publications
29 Days in Peru, Self Published, 2002
“Like Dogs Barking at the Rear of an Elephant: The Animal’s Place in Malay Proverbs” Forthcoming. Proverbium vol. 25 (Oct. 2008)
“Popular American Amusements: Tourism, Bodies, and Display in America 1769-1900″ The Early America Review (Winter/Spring 2008) Click Here to Read Article
Conferences
Presenter, American Folklore Society Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City Utah 2004, “The Kancil Trickster as a Vehicle for Expression in the Malay World”
Presenter, American Folklore Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta Georgia 2005, “The ‘Secret’ (Censored) Animal Tales of Russia and the Malay World: How Two Cognates Function in Two Very Different Lands”
Presenter, Western States Folklore Society Annual Meeting, Berkeley, California 2006, “The Kancil Trickster as a Vehicle for Expression in the Malay World”
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