Copyright (c) 2009 Illinois Wesleyan University All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing Recent documents in Constructing the Past en-us Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:09:08 PST 3600 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/12 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/12 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:18 PDT This paper will address the interpretations of the "dancing girls" within four specific examples of Sasanian silver vessels. Within these vessels, we will examine both the external origins of the imagery and the internal explanations that arise. These readings are largely confined to: 1. religious (goddess or priestesses), 2. royal (depictions of noble women), or 3. decorative (with a primarily erotic connotation). After we address all of the possible meanings attributed to the "dancing girls," we will examine the importance of these labels and ask if identity connotes value. Does this necessarily mean the works must have symbolic or metaphorical meaning? Their true meaning lies in the wiggle-room, as it were, that the imagery creates. The ambiguous nature of these figures has allowed them to be adapted to fulfill multiple needs for various social, religious, or scholarly groups. It is in their flexible nature, their iconographic malleability, that the "dancing girls" truly exert their power. Mary Olson History http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/11 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/11 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:17 PDT The Byzantine military strategy expressed in the 10th century treatise On Skirmishing marked a decisive shift in Byzantine strategy and an entirely new mindset in approaching war. What is unique about this strategy is that it was not created during a war against the Arabs, but before they existed as a military power. The foundation was laid during the Emperor Heraclius's Persian campaigns of 622-628. To demonstrate the key contributions of Heraclius, these Persian campaigns shall be analyzed and compared with the advice prescribed in On Skirmishing. Also, the military events recorded by Theophanes of the 7th and 8th centuries will be compared with Heraclius and On Skirmishing to show the development of the strategy after Heraclius and how it measured up to the final form in On Skirmishing. Bob Ekkebus History http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/10 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/10 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:15 PDT This paper centers on John Rabe, a German businessman and Nazi, who, according to several historians, helped save roughly 250,000 lives during the Rape of Nanking. He did this by establishing and serving as director of the "International Safety Zone." This paper's research question is how did Rabe reconcile his Nazi beliefs with his heroic actions during the massacre? This paper will argue that Rabe's heroic actions were not inconsistent with his membership in the Nazi Party. Emily Paras History http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/9 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/9 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:14 PDT By comparing these Christian texts, both canonical and non-canonical, I will examine similarities and differences between the texts with regard to Mary Magdalene and interpret her textual representations. While comparing these criteria, I will simultaneously show that the two general representations symbolize a disagreement between two major sects in early Christianity on the roles of women in religion. William S. Miller History http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/8 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/8 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:12 PDT Each site, Siwah, Aegae, and Alexandria, represents a particular facet of Alexander--the god, the king, the symbol--and it is clear who would have benefited from putting forth and standing behind each side of the man. The meanings associated with the three potential burial sites and the intentions of each site's main supporters offer a complex and telling view into Alexander and the post-Alexander world. Lauren O'Connor History http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/7 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/7 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:11 PDT Chao Ren History http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/6 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/6 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:10 PDT A new officer it placed in the newly reoccupied Gulf Coast under command of a regiment of African Americans. Faced by discrimination and conflict among other units, Colonel Daniels bases his actions not by the color of another's skin, but by the duty he was assigned. Myles Black History http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/5 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/5 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:08 PDT Clara Schumann was the wife of the composer Robert Schumann, the mother of seven children, a famous concert pianist, and a talented female composer in a time when few women were active in both the private and public spheres. This paper seeks to present a more objective view of Clara Schumann beyond the superficial labels of wife, mother, pianist, and composer. By closely examining her early married life to Robert through the marriage diaries, as well as letters between the couple and Clara's own personal diary, a more complex and often conflicted woman emerges from these pages. Gina Tangorra History http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/4 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/4 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:07 PDT Many researchers of Barbie are either entirely positive or negative in their outlook on the purpose of the doll. Some claim that Barbie was created for girls to have an imaginative outlet, but others say that Barbie was meant to confine and restrict women within a certain role. Many agree with the creator, Ruth Handler, that Barbie was a symbol of the independent woman; however, others believe she was limited to a traditional woman's place in the 1950s and 1960s. Using Barbie novels published in the early 1960s, which have been analyzed by only few authors, and other primary and secondary sources, I will attempt to write a balanced history of the intentions behind the creation of Barbie while discussing the difficulty of determining the truth behind her creation. Briana Piche History http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/3 http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol10/iss1/3 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:13:05 PDT What makes the home run so magical? Why is it the one play in baseball that has stood out above the rest for its ability to bring in fans? The answer lies in the drama and excitement that the home run brings to the game. The home run has constantly been baseball's grace when faced with falling attendance. In three specific time periods, the 1920s, 1960s, and 1990s, the home run provided a spark that reignited the dying flames of interest among baseball fans across saving America. David Getz History