Society and Culture
Food fight: How a community in Mexico used food to resist the Aztec empire
Oct. 1, 2019—Inspired by an ancient people’s use of food to resist defeat, anthropologist Keitlyn Alcantara now uses food to resist cultural loss among Latin American middle schoolers in Nashville.
Find Your Impact: Jeffrey Bennett shows how much words matter in the treatment of diabetes
Sep. 24, 2019—Communication studies professor Jeffrey Bennett wants everyone to understand how the way we talk about health shapes the way we understand and treat disease.
Decline of U.S. auto industry linked to midcentury shift in production models
Jul. 18, 2019—A massive shift in production models by American automakers to limit the impact of labor unions may have unintentionally stifled innovation and led to the present decline of the U.S. auto industry, according to new research by Joshua Murray.
VanDiver and Lieberman selected for NEH Summer Stipend awards
May. 13, 2019—Faculty members Rebecca K. VanDiver and Phillip I. Lieberman are the only professors in Tennessee to receive 2019 Summer Stipends from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Griffith, Bruce co-edit new reference texts on health equity
May. 1, 2019—Experts from Vanderbilt's Center for Research on Men's Health have authored two reference texts highlighting the unique health equity concerns among male populations, as well as the impact of racism in health care settings.
Indicators of despair rising among Gen X-ers entering middle age
Apr. 15, 2019—In 2016, a surprising decline in life expectancy was ascribed to "deaths of despair" among working-class middle-aged white men displaced by a changing economy. However, new research shows indicators of despair are rising among Americans approaching middle age regardless of race, education and gender.
Mellon Foundation renews support for Center for Digital Humanities
Mar. 15, 2019—The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $1.5 million grant to Vanderbilt for renewed support of its Center for Digital Humanities.
Tichi’s latest research is ‘how-to manual’ for Gilded Age socialites
Mar. 4, 2019—Cecelia Tichi, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English and professor of American studies, will discuss the many rules for making it into the top tier of late-19th century high society during a reading and discussion of her book "What Would Mrs. Astor Do?" March 13 in the Vanderbilt Library's Special Collections.
The health consequences of backlash politics
Mar. 4, 2019—Public policies rooted in racial resentment can carry grave consequences for health and well-being, according to new research by Vanderbilt psychiatrist and sociologist Jonathan Metzl.
Long before #MeToo, female artists were calling out sexual violence
Feb. 11, 2019—Social media has brought sexual assault into the public eye, but bearing witness to sexual violence in popular culture didn’t begin with the invention of tweets and posts, according to Vanderbilt art history professor Vivien Green Fryd, who explores the topic in her new book.
New analysis suggests lepers may not have been pariahs in Jesus’ time
Jan. 10, 2019—New insights into how disease and impurity were viewed in first-century Jewish society suggests scholars may need to reevaluate how they interpret Jesus' interaction with people affected by leprosy.
The ‘clean plate’ mentality drives us to overeat. To-go bags can help.
Nov. 27, 2018—We’re more likely to overeat when we only have a little bit of food left over, and we justify it by convincing ourselves it’s not as unhealthy as it is, according to new research by marketing professor Kelly Haws.