Folger Fellows
Interview and excerpt: Debapriya Sarkar, Possible Knowledge: The Literary Forms of Early Modern Science
An interview with Dr. Debapriya Sarkar and an excerpt from her 2023 book, Possible Knowledge: The Literary Forms of Early Modern Science.
In Search of Nature’s Not-So-Lost Treasures: Juan Eusebio Nieremberg on Ecology
Folger Fellow Javier Patiño Loira explores early modern concerns about nature and extinction.
Philanthropy and Torture: Linking Workhouses and Plantations
Folger Fellow Justin Roberts explores the appearance of torture instruments in 17th century workhouses.
Christian baking molds from Early Modern Europe
Folger Fellow Rabia Gregory looks at the use of baking molds with Christian imagery.
On racial suffocation and the early modern humanities
Chris Blakley examines “ship fever”, the Black Hole of Calcutta, and the links to present-day ideas about race, racism, and racist policies that play a role in determining healthcare outcomes.
Murmuration: Shakespeare in Flight
Artistic Research Fellow Jacklyn Brickman explores Shakespeare, patterns, and the invasive starling species using AI.
Experiences of Captivity in the Books of John Smith
Folger Fellow Adrian Finucane explores issues of captivity in John Smith’s writing.
Recipes to remember: Coriander, gallyngale, and the legacies of the lost
The Receipt Book of Margaret Baker, compiled in 1675, contains a recipe for a memory-potion called “Confect of Coriander Seed.”
"What’s in a name?" That which we call [primitive] by any other word...
Artist Eva Rocha’s multimedia work investigates processes of dehumanization and in this post she looks at early colonial depictions of “Original Peoples”.
Othello: what’s in a name?
Simon Newman examines the use of the name “Othello” given to enslaved people on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Carib Garifuna Chief: Transatlantic Images of Chatoyer in the Early 19th Century
Folger Fellow Désha Osborne looks at Horace Twiss’s early 19th century play The Carib Chief.
Should Ophelia Die in the 21st Century?
Folger Fellow Injela Zaini examines Ophelia’s death and the purpose it serves.