April 3-4, 2021: March 2021 Recap

[A Recap of the month that was in AmericanStudying.]

March 1: Superhero Comics: Captain America: For Cap’s 80th birthday, a superhero series kicks off with how that timing helps us remember the aspirational and political roles of superhero comics.

March 2: Superhero Comics: Batman and Superman: The series continues with two distinct AmericanStudies contrasts between our two most enduring superheroes.

March 3: Superhero Comics: Wonder Woman: The ambiguous creation, evolution, and cultural images of our first female superhero, as the series fights on.

March 4: Superhero Comics: Black Panther: On Black Powers, super- and political.

March 5: Superhero Comics: The Punisher: The series concludes with the character whose ambiguous heroism illustrates a fundamental American duality.

March 6-7: Superhero Comics: Watchmen: A special weekend post, sharing student responses to the meta-superheroic graphic novel!

March 8: Spring Break Films: Spring Break: A series on Spring Break films kicks off with 1983’s Spring Break and more and less destructive pop culture stereotypes.

March 9: Spring Break Films: Spring Breakers: The series continues with 2012’s Spring Breakers and the fine line between challenging and exploiting female objectification.                             

March 10: Spring Break Films: From Justin to Kelly: What wasn’t new about the historic beach bomb, and what was, as the series parties on.

March 11: Spring Break Films: Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise: American intellectualism and the worse and better ways to challenge it.

March 12: Spring Break Films: Baywatch: The series concludes with why those beautiful beach bodies are also a body of AmericanStudies evidence.

March 13-14: Of Thee I Sing Update!: Ahead of my new book’s March 15threlease date, an update on where and how you can get your hands on it (the discount code still works)!

March 15: Models of Critical Patriotism: “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?”: A book release series on models of critical patriotism kicks off with Frederick Douglass’ stunning speech.

March 16: Models of Critical Patriotism: “Eulogy on King Philip”: The series continues with a speech that offers two complementary models.

March 17: Models of Critical Patriotism: Suffrage Activists at the Centennial Exposition: National divisions and critical patriotism at America’s 100thbirthday bash, as the series reads on.

March 18: Models of Critical Patriotism: America is in the Heart: An author and book that both introduce under-narrated histories and redefine American identity.

March 19: Models of Critical Patriotism: MLK and Baldwin, Kaepernick and the 1619 Project: The series concludes with 21st figures and works that extend the legacies of critical patriotism.

March 20-21: Sharing Of Thee I Sing: A few more details on where and how I’m working to share the book, and how you can help me do so!

March 22: Indigenous New England: The Wampanoag: For the 400thanniversary of a foundational treaty, a series on Indigenous New England kicks off with sources & voices from whom I’ve learned about the Wampanoag.

March 23: Indigenous New England: Tisquantum: The series continues with the most inspiring and most horrific sides to a foundational American life, and how to remember both.

March 24: Indigenous New England: The Peace Treaty: An English account of the 1621 treaty and how we need to go beyond it, as the series rolls on.

March 25: Indigenous New England: The Mystic Massacre: Three texts that help us remember one of 17th century America’s darkest histories.

March 26: Indigenous New England: Brothers Among Nations: The series concludes with a distinct and more inspiring vision of the arrival and contact era.

March 27-28: Reframing the Pilgrims: A special weekend post on how the week’s histories can help us reframe the New England Puritans, and how I still need to go beyond that frame.

March 29: Key & Peele Studying: Negrotown: An April Fool’s series on the comic geniuses kicks off with the many layers to the sketch that first made me fall in love with Key & Peele.

March 30: Key & Peele Studying: Luther: The series continues with one of the smartest comic ideas ever, and the stunning political moment it produced.

March 31: Key & Peele Studying: Country Music: What a silly sketch helps us see about country music’s frustrating race problem, as the series laughs on.

April 1: Key & Peele Studying: Substitute Teacher: How great comedy both reinforces yet can transcend cultural stereotypes.

April 2: Key & Peele Studying: Five More Sketches: The series concludes with five more hilarious and provocative Key & Peele sketches.

Next series starts Monday,

Ben

PS. Topics you’d like to see covered in this space? Guest Posts you’d like to contribute? Lemme know!