William R. Feeney, GTA
wfeeney@mix.wvu.edu
Ph.D. Student Grad. Teaching Assistant
G Woodburn Hall 304-293-2421×
Major Field: 19th Century American History: American Civil War
Other Fields: Urban History, Industrialization
Advisor: Peter Carmichael
Dissertation/Thesis Title:
Research Interests: My work focuses on the evolving perceptions of disability throughout nineteenth century and sees the Civil War as the major benchmark to change in social thought. During the war an untold number of soldiers, both Northern and Southern, suffered some form of physical, biological, or mental injury. In many cases these wounds proved to be permanent. Upon returning home these soldiers, along with the communities they lived in, were forced to reconcile their previous conceptions of disability with the widespread injuries caused by the war. The notion of disability became more complex as industrialization, Nativism, and Progressivism entered the American mainstream. Throughout the course of this research I intend to explore the trajectory of the nation’s shift from the virtues of republicanism, individualism, and free labor ideology prior to the Civil War to the notions of Nativism and Progressivism in the latter half of the nineteenth century. While doing so I will pay particular attention to the role and social views of disability.
