In 2016, Captain America brought comic books to the forefront of national discussion with a single phrase: “Hail Hydra.” These two words proclaimed Captain America’s allegiance to Hydra, one of Marvel Comics' most recognizable villains which has historically been used as an allegory for the Nazi Party. The moment incited a riot not only among comic book super fans, but casual onlookers as well. Many claimed that by aligning Captain America with Hydra, author Nick Spencer disregarded the character’s origin as an anti-Nazi propaganda piece and later history as a defender of American values, and gave fuel to the growing Alt-Right movement in the United States. However, this moment was not the first time that Captain America had joined the other side. In 1979, Captain America was briefly brainwashed into joining the National Force, an organization which acted as a clear allegory for the various white nationalist movements gaining power in the United States at the time. While Hydra and the National Force are comparable villains, the lenses through which the writers of both storylines present them reveal how views of white nationalism have changed in the United States. Through a comparative analysis of these two storylines, this paper examines the ways in which the Captain America comic books have reflected the shift in white nationalist movements from a largely condemned movement to a viable political force. This project provides a new lens to examine the history of white nationalism in the United States while building on the current body of scholarship arguing for the importance of comic books as a historical source.

This presentation discusses, through a series of historical case studies, how the issue of nuclear waste on indigenous lands is a reproductive justice issue. Drawing on bioethical theory, secondary historical and sociological analysis, and primary source accounts, the presentation demonstrates that the impacts of nuclear waste on indigenous lands and communities are the result of systemic racism against indigenous communities, and that those impacts, including high rates of miscarriage and reproductive cancers, remove bodily autonomy and reproductive choice. Negative health outcomes make communities unsafe places to raise children, and the potential for increased exposure to toxins through traditional cultural practices impacts a community’s ability to raise children with those cultural practices. This history and attention to nuclear waste as an issue of reproductive justice must be part of the conversation as energy and waste storage policies are developed to address climate change.

Humanity is on the verge of a biotechnological epoch. What this will entail is a union of opposites: biological humans merging with artificial machines. Unity of opposites, or non-duality, is a timeless theme, one that is not only found in the ancient teachings of Heraclitus or in Greek mythology, but also in that of the I-Ching, and the Tao Te Ching. The yin-yang symbol is one of the earliest visual depictions of this. Support for a unified theory of the universe is now being widely embraced; hence the shift from the old Standard Model of particle physics to the new Core Theory. Modern interpretation of what Laozi referred to as, Tao, suggests a process that is characteristic of a double torus, with a cuboctahedron at its heart. Such a synergic principle would not only be observable in the nature of matter, but also in that of the mind. It is of no coincidence that humanity is beginning to integrate with arguably its finest of achievements—tools. Synergic inquiry is the method by which this literature review will be conducted, so as to build the argument that all things are interdependently connected, distinguishable sub-systems of a larger system. This implies that the convergence of human and machine is simply the beginning of a brand new, distinguishable part in that whole. The study of synergetics, in its wider applications, proves to be an invaluable tool to understand the macrocosm and microcosm relationship, and it will no doubt contribute greatly to the symbiotic relationship between nanotechnology and molecular biology, as humanity seeks to build a better world.

During the War for Independence, the American Commander in Chief, George Washington, relied heavily on a secret correspondence with his assets on the ground, both from members of his clandestine service and ordinary pro-American colonials, while commanding the Continental Army and deciding on his next move. Why did so many colonials betray their families, social status, religious values, or overlook their apparent differences, such as ethnicity, gender, or race, and risk being hanged to participate in something where the outcome was not certain? Could they have sensed that their moment in history was larger than they were and felt a premonition of the new country before it was born? By analyzing the operations of the most successful American intelligence ring, the Culper Ring, I provide answer to these questions. Primary sources, including letters, memoirs, and official correspondence, part of the Library of Congress Collection, the National Archives Collection, and William L. Clements Library, in conjunction with secondary literature on both American Revolutionary Intelligence and the Revolutionary period are in the center of my argument. I conclude that a combination of ideology that emerged during the Revolution and individual experiences, grievances, and desires, induced colonials to join the cause and ultimately participate in the clandestine activity. Hopefully, this research will provide a foundation for future scholarship on the American Revolutionary Intelligence and invite scholars of espionage to investigate other areas of spycraft and not solely focus on techniques employed and other logistical questions.

“Native Homes: Xavier’s path from Sápmi to Tacoma” is a work of creative nonfiction grounded in scholarly and archival research about the first theologian at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU). Johan Ulrik Xavier was an Indigenous Sámi man from Northern Norway (Sápmi). The Sámi people have always been semi-nomads moving with their reindeer. When Xavier’s family came to the United States in 1873, they left their traditional lifeway behind. Almost 150 years later, I left my Sámi community in Tromso for an education in the U.S. and found myself attending PLU. I stumbled upon the name Xavier on a campus building and I was told he was Sámi. “Native Homes” implements research on the significance of place and why people move, especially through an Indigenous perspective. While trying to understand who Xavier was and why his family moved, I found out that I am distantly related to Xavier. After feeling guilty for leaving my community, I was absolutely stunned by the fact that someone related to me had done the same 150 years earlier and ended up in the same place. This gave me a new connection to this land. “Native Homes” combines my archival research findings with my personal exploration of the definition of home. A Sámi writer named Nils Aslak Valkeapää once wrote: “My home is in my heart; it migrates with me.” I wondered if it was possible that Xavier and I had managed to bring our Native homes this far from our Native lands. Through my essay, I strive to answer the questions: Is it possible for Native individuals to leave their Native land and still have strong ties to their culture? Is it possible to have multiple homes?

Judaism has a long history in Yemen and the Horn of Africa, with community folklores and oral histories often tracing their origins to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and a textual history which highlights unique cultural and religious practices and communal resilience. However, the Jewish communities of Yemen and the Horn of Africa are often underrepresented in sources on Jewish history or presented with sensationalist, Orientalist tropes. Similarly, Ge’ez, Amharic, and Judeo-Yemeni Arabic are significantly understudied in Jewish Studies and in mainstream linguistics and literary studies more generally. In this project, I will develop a digital exhibit using Google Sites or Omeka about the history and culture of the Yemenite Jewish community and the Ethiopian Jewish community known as Beta Israel. I will also discuss the Jewish-origin foundation myths for the Somali Yibir clan and the implications of this legend within broader Somali and Jewish contexts. In the online exhibit, I will incorporate multilingual and multimedia elements, including historical work on Yemenite Judeo-Arabic and Beta Israel Ge’ez scriptures and texts, trade documents showing these communities in context, and modern cultural projects with which Yemeni and Ethiopian Jews, the vast majority of whom emigrated to Israel in the second half of the twentieth century, have navigated their often-marginalized status and moves toward integration/assimilation or cultural preservation. In this interdisciplinary project drawing on the tools of the digital humanities while using language as a lens for historical study, I hope to present an innovative perspective on the role of oral and written literatures in the formation of peoplehood and of Jewish identity specifically, and to contribute an underrepresented angle to the broader body of digital Jewish history.

The current political climate of Peru has had significant effects on the Madre de Dios region. Many migrants have arrived in the area over the last few decades, and with the addition of the Interoceanic Highway there has been an increase in the agricultural action occuring in Madre de Dios. With efforts by the government to increase the productivity of farmland, there has been an implementation of various agricultural techniques that are detrimental to the sustainability of the environment and the economy. The goal of this research was to gain a better understanding of how farmers in the town of Monterrey, in the Las Piedras district, work their farmland, and to find out how sustainable the agricultural system currently is. I conducted 12 informal interviews with farmers and solicited information from the local outpost of the Ministry of Agriculture. Most farmers grow papayas, watermelons, or corn, using modernized techniques and relying on heavy fertilizer use. Based on my research, these practices are unsustainable for the long run and I suggest holding educational seminars for farmers to implement sustainable techniques such as crop rotation and crop diversity to create a system that will promote the economic, environmental, and social health of the community.

During the 19th Century, the Tigris River in the Ottoman Empire province of Iraq was an essential conduit for trade and travel between the East and the West. European, Ottoman, and Persian steamships plied the river from Baghdad to Basra and back, transporting goods and passengers. At present, there exists no detailed digital historical map of this significant waterway. Our project began with the Joseph Mathia Svoboda diaries. Joseph Svoboda, a European resident of Baghdad, worked as a purser on British Lynch Company steamships running between Baghdad and Basra. For about 50 years, he kept diaries recording his journeys, stopping places, cargos, passengers, weather, and events on the river. Our research project began by creating a schematic map based on Joseph’s accounts listing a number of stops the steamers made going up and downstream. Our next step is to identify the locations of the steamers’ stopping places on the river. We are exploring two options: the first, referencing 18th and 19th century maps of the river found in online map collections such as the David Rumsey Map Collection and the Library of Congress. The second option is using ArcGIS, a geographic information system with an extensive map database, to identify the places Svoboda mentioned. We expect to develop the map, either by manually plugging in the names in an empty, historically accurate terrain map, or by using the historical map database from ArcGIS to set up an interactive map. The finished digitalized map will be the first of its kind. It will help our project’s other research move forward. For example, the developed map will offer a clear visualization of Svoboda’s journey that could help our transcription team as they work with new diaries. It will also build a more comprehensive guide for scholars who study the history, economy, and geography of the Tigris and Ottoman Iraq in the 19th Century.