25th Annual Student Research Conference
Welfare Recipients, Freak Show Wonders, or the Great Other
Amelia Bursi
Dr. Kathryn Brammall, Faculty Mentor
The idea of freak shows and freakery has sparked great debate in the academic world, in both history and disability studies. This research will be guided by a certain frame of questions: what about freak shows was so alluring to spectators in nineteenth and early twentieth century America; how have we rationalized our obsession with human oddities; how has the subject of freakery developed in academia and disability studies; what was life like for a so-called freak; and are there modern freak shows?
Keywords: freak shows, disability studies, human oddities, freakery
Topic(s):History Senior Seminar
Disability and Society
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 309-2
Location: VH 1236
Time: 1:15