Humanities Institute Festival News

Princesses vs. Superheroes

wonder-woman

With acclaimed author and historian Jill Lepore as this year’s Festival Keynote Speaker, there will be a lot of discussions on the roles that female, queer and trans characters play in various superhero universes. On Saturday, Sept. 26th from 11:00am—12pm in Ketchum Hall at SUNY Buff State (Room TBA), Profs. Jennifer Hunt and Jennifer Ryan will give their presentation on the tensions between princess and superhero archetypes.

Princesses are ubiquitous in books, movies, toys, and apparel.  Parents of female children find it especially hard to negotiate the fraught waters of the Disney Princess universe, which at best sends mixed messages about gender roles. Even recent princess narratives emphasize femininity, traditional gender roles, and heterosexual romance. A quick Google search of “Disney princess op ed” brings up hundreds of pieces debating the relative harm that princess iconography causes  in American society.

However, these conventional roles can be countered through the radical actions and empowerment that superheroes exemplify. And there is a growing market for female superheroes as well. The success of, for example, the rebooted female version of Thor in the Marvel universe is a perfect example of the increasing desire in American audiences for a new model of femininity that breaks the princess mold.

During their lecture, Hunt and Ryan will discuss gender messages in princesses and superheroes from a feminist perspective, including Hunt’s original research showing how princess and superhero identification relates to gender ideology, relationship desires, and career choices for women.

Jennifer Hunt is Associate Professor of Psychology at SUNY Buffalo State.  She teaches courses on the psychology of gender, diversity, and legal psychology.  Her research examines how race, ethnicity, and culture influence jury decision-making and how princess and superhero identification affects women.  Jennifer Ryan is Associate Professor of English at SUNY Buffalo State, where she teaches courses in American poetry, women’s literature, and African-American literature.  She has published on black women superheroes, Bessie Smith, and Wanda Coleman.

Humanities Institute Festival News

Some Sneak Peeks of our 2015 Line-up

cyranaHaving recently received the final abstracts for the 2015 Festival presentations, we’ll be blogging about the program and offering you some sneak peeks of what you can expect to see this September!

Our first teaser is about a presentation entitled “CyranO Becomes CyranA” featuring Prof. Doug Zschiegner and actors from the Niagara University Theatre, which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 26th at 11am in the Burchfield Auditorium. In this adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano De Bergerac, the genders of the characters are switched while their behavior is unaltered. The result is a world where women are the dominant sex, while men peacock for their attention. This presentation will feature actors recreating scenes and sharing their experiences with the production, with adaptor/director Doug Zschiegner moderating.

In an article about the play published in the Buffalo News, Zschiegner says that, “The female students are really taking this by the horns – these particular roles – because they know they will never get to play these roles again, as a woman. The men are finding some very interesting aspects – what it’s like to not be in the dominant gender. To not assume they have the power, especially in this period when his main role is to attract a mate.” The interviewer also writes that “[Zschiegner] said the play is set in the 1640s, which is an especially difficult period for costumes and sets, so they are “making up” a 1640s setting, but with women as the dominant gender. He said his decision to adapt the classic came from two impulses: to present a play that has more roles for women, which is a common problem in classic plays; and to look at the familiar story in a fresh way.”

The play’s run took place this past March and was well-received, so Zschiegner is considering publishing the play. But don’t worry—even if you missed your chance to see it, actors from the production will be acting out scenes during the Festival presentation.

Doug Zschiegner is Associate Director and Associate Professor of Acting and Directing for Niagara University’s BFA Theatre program.  Doug’s MFA is from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program, and he has directed, acted, and taught at Equity theatres and universities around the country.

Click here to buy tickets and other great indoor events at this year’s Festival!

Humanities Institute Announcements, Festival News

New History Museum Kickoff Event Added to 2015 Schedule!

business-manWe’re very excited to announce that this year’s Humanities Festival will now run from Wednesday, Sept. 23rd to Saturday, Sept. 26th! The expanded schedule will allow us to add more events and performances to the schedule while reducing overlap, making it easier for festival goers to participate in all of the events that interest them.

In addition to the expanded schedule, we also have a new kickoff event planned for Wednesday evening from 7 to 9pm at the Buffalo History Museum. It will be a lecture and reception led by Prof. Patrick McDevitt of the UB History Department entitled “Do Clothes Make the Man?” The talk will explore the history of the man’s suit in Western fashion and the ways in which it continues to convey notions of wealth, masculine prestige, and power. Also featured will be a “pop-up” exhibit about men’s fashions from the Buffalo History Museum’s collections.

Prof. McDevitt will discuss the extent to which regional dress for men from around the world has largely been colonized by the dark, sober, Western suit.  Without his Savile Row suit, James Bond would be just another government assassin. Even famously fashion-averse Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg puts on a suit to meet the President. The goal of the lecture is to ultimately interrogate our understanding of the role that the suit plays in shaping gender norms and denoting power in the contemporary world.

Patrick McDevitt is Associate Professor of History at the University at Buffalo.  As a specialist in Irish, British, and imperial history, McDevitt explores the cultural meanings of sport, masculinity, religion, and fashion. His life’s ambition is to be on a first-name basis with an Italian cordwainer who makes his shoes.

We hope you’ll join us for this lecture and kickoff reception! Check back here and on Facebook and Twitter for more updates as we work toward finalizing the schedule for this year’s festival.