Women's History Month Lecture
The Department of History held a roundtable titled “Reflections in History” for Women’s History Month featuring six panelists from Baylor University’s Department of History. This event was free and open to the public.
The Roundtable was held on March 20, 2024, in Armstrong Browning Library, 710 Speight Ave. Waco, Texas 76706, in the Lewis-Birkhead Lecture Hall from 3:30 - 5:00 pm.
Emma Fenske | "Leading through Romance: Women's Religious Authority and Christian Romance Novels”
Emma Fenske is a Ph.D. Student specializing in Conservative Evangelical women and their thoughts and theology through Christian historical fiction romance novels during the rise of Billy Graham and the Christian Right.
Her paper discussed rise of women authors in the Christian romance genre as figures of authority in America's conservative evangelical community. Drawing from a variety of sources, it traced the emergence of romance novelist as a credential for religious leadership in the public sphere.
Amy Achenbach | “'It’s Not Four Years; It’s For Life': The Greek-letter Sorority, Gender, and Memory in the Modern United States"
Amy Achenbach is a Ph.D. Candidate specializing in the culture and ideology of single-sex, women’s spaces through the lens of collegiate, and Greek-letter sororities.
Her paper traced how gendered ideals were articulated by Greek-letter sorority alumnae, negotiated by sorority collegians, and ultimately implemented within the space of the sorority house. It spoke to ongoing public debates about the place of single-sex women’s organizations in contemporary American culture.
Brooke R. LeFevre | “Strategic Support: The Legacy and Limits of Mormon Women’s Patriarchal Negotiations”
Brooke LeFevre is a Ph.D. Candidate specializing in the intersection of women, religion, and medicine during the nineteenth century, focusing primarily on the United States.
Her paper examined Mormon women’s political activism and the ways they are shaped and limited by a certain type of patriarchal negotiation that early Mormon women embraced. It sought to demonstrate the constraints faced by women who bargain with religious patriarchy.
Dr. Liana Kirillova | "'Free Angela Davis!': Soviet Citizens Embrace America's Most Controversial Civil Rights Activist"
Dr. Liana Kirillova is a Lecturer in History specializing in the history of the Cold War, global sixties, and transnational youth exchanges in Europe.
Her paper explored the trial of American Black Panther activitist Angela Davis through the Soviet Union's mass media and propaganda coverage. As a case study of Cold War cultural competition, it examined both Davis's activism and her value to Soviet media critiques of American imperialism.
Dr. Felipe Hinojosa | “Lydia Lopez, Chicana/o Politics, and the Sanctuary Movement in Los Angeles”
Dr. Felipe Hinojosa is the John and Nancy Jackson Endowed Chair in Latin America & Professor of History. His specializations include Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, American Religion, Race and Ethnicity, and Social Movements.
With a focus on the life and work of Lydia Lopez, his paper looked at the intersections of Chicana/o politics and the Sanctuary movement in Los Angeles from the late 1960s to the 1980s. It showed that in the life and activism of Lopez it is possible to make sense of the connections between these two movements, which are often seen as disconnected.
Dr. Elesha Coffman | “Margaret Mead vs. Christian Nationalism”
Dr. Elesha Coffman is an Associate Professor of History who specializes in American Religious and Intellectual History.
Focusing on the interplay of religion and nationalism on the cusp of American entry into World War II, her paper showed how Margaret Mead’s Christian identity, and scholarly credentials gave her a unique role in navigating political and religion tensions during this era.