This roundtable discussion will focus on the experiences of UM, the state, and the nation during the late nineteenth century, when the university was beginning to admit women for the first time, when the nation was emerging from the destruction and disruption wrought by the Civil War, and when Michigan’s African American community was fighting against northern segregation to redefine the meaning of citizenship. Panelists include:

Martin Hershock is dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters and professor of history at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. A specialist in 19th-century American political and social history and in the history of Michigan, Hershock has written or edited four books as well as a number of academic articles, book chapters, reviews and encyclopedia articles.

Michelle McClellan is an assistant professor in history and the Residential College at the University of Michigan. Her teaching and research engages with issues of place and memory as well as with the social implications of scientific knowledge, especially regarding addiction. Currently, Michelle is writing a book on heritage tourism associated with the “Little House” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

John W. Quist received his PhD in history from the University of Michigan and is a professor of History at Shippensburg University. Among other works, he is the author of Restless Visionaries: The Social Roots of Antebellum Reform in Alabama and Michigan (Louisiana State University Press, 1998) and Michigan's War: The Civil War in Documents (forthcoming, Ohio University Press).

Gayle Rubin is associate professor of anthropology and women’s studies at the University of Michigan. Her work deals generally on histories, theories, geographies, and social organizations of sexuality. More specifically, she has focused on urban sexual populations, the history of sexological theory, feminist theory and politics, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies.

This LSA Bicentennial Theme Semester event is presented with support from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and the University of Michigan Bicentennial Office. Additional support provided by the Department of History, the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, and the Residential College.