James Edward Tobin
Miami University (Oxford, OH 45056-1846)
FA-54260-08
Fellowships for University Teachers
Research Programs
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[Grant products]
Totals:
$25,200 (approved)
$25,200 (awarded)
Grant period:
7/1/2008 – 12/31/2008
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The Impact of Disability on America's Collective Memory of Franklin D. Roosevelt
A book-length narrative--based on extensive primary research and aimed principally at a general audience--of Franklin D. Roosevelt's experience of disability. Drawing on insights from the fields of disability studies and the study of illness as a subjective experience, the book will illuminate the life history of a central figure of American life in the 20th century. Central questions include: How did FDR adapt to the experience of paralysis? How was his experience conditioned by prevailing attitudes about infectious disease, polio, paralysis and invalidism? How did his condition affect his relationships with his family and close associates? What effects did paralysis have on FDR's conduct of the presidency, and on the public symbolism of the New Deal and World War II? What accounts for the silences and social reticence that enshrouded his situation?
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