Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Madeleine Stout 
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: She/Her
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Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): mestout@fsu.edu
Position Title: Graduate Student
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FSU College (if applicable): Arts and Sciences
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: History
Headshot (optional): https://cre.fsu.edu/system/files/webform/urop_project_proposal_portal/8586/Headshot%201.jpeg

Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Overall Project Details
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Title of the Project: Cold War Kitsch: How Black Lives Shaped the 20th Century Battle for Ideology 
Project Keywords: History, Russia, United States, African American, Propaganda 
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: No
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Open to all majors 

Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: No, the project is remote
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 5-7
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description:
The traditional Cold War narrative begins in 1947 with the Truman Doctrine and ends in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This conflict was coined the Cold War due to the lack of direct military conflict between the US and Soviet Union. Instead the two super powers fought using psychological warfare, propaganda, and proxy wars throughout the later half of the twentieth century. The Cold War witnessed the US and the Soviet Union wage an ideological battle between Capitalism and Communism across the globe. The US and the Soviet Union fought to prove their own systems superior. One prominent focal point was human rights - specifically the treatment of African Americans. 

In the traditional Cold War narrative, the first two decades witness the Soviet Union using the images and videos of racist violence in the Modern Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968) as a symbol of US failures. Soviet artists and propagandists created posters, prints, and pamphlets capitalizing on the violence enacted on Black bodies to show the hypocrisy of American democracy. However, when analyzing the Soviet focus on the mistreatment and dehumanization of African Americans in the US, the traditional Cold War timeline is destabilized. African Americans were focal points of both the US and the Soviet Union in the 1930s. The USSR would broadcast the injustice Black people faced in the US, one specific example being the Scottsboro Boys Trial, to the world before the 1950s. Not only did the USSR highlight racism in the US as a criticism of Western democracy, but it simultaneously projected itself as a race-less society. In the late 1920s-1930s the Soviet Union recruited engineers and industrial workers from the US to travel to Russia for work. The Soviet Union did not discriminate on race, and offered not only higher pay, but also education opportunities to both white and Black US workers if they moved to Russia. As a result the late 1920s-1930s saw a migration of African Americans to the Soviet Union for employment. These people worked, studied, married, and had children in the Soviet Union. While many did return to the US after some time, others stayed and their stories show a battle for ideology between life in the US and the USSR prior to 1947. Not only did people move to the USSR, but notable African Americans visited as well - Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Paul Robeson to mention a few. These visitors were often discredited in the US if they spoke highly of the USSR. 

 It is through the travels of African Americans, whether they be visitors or sojourners, that one can see the Cold War begins in the 1920s-1930s. This project seeks to compare the words and experiences of African Americans with those of US newspapers and documents in the 1920s-1930s to highlight this longer Cold War period. 

Research Tasks:
literature review, primary source (i.e. newspaper, memoir, document) collection, analysis, and organization. 

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Russian language reading comprehension recommended, but not required 

Mentoring Philosophy:
As a mentor I believe in serving as a resource to mentees and having open communication through weekly check-ins, but also making myself available in case of emergencies. Being a mentor is not solely about the project getting done, but providing mentees with hands on experience that will help them grow as researchers. I aim to foster an enjoyment for research and validate thoughts and ideas through discussion of historical sources. Mistakes are one of the fastest ways researchers learn, and I don't believe in chastising mentees, but instead working together to adapt to any hiccups that may happen during research. If a mentee feels uncomfortable, excited, or unsure when conducting research I encourage they come to me so we can go over their thoughts. If it is something they are excited about we can talk about how to pursue or follow that interest throughout the project. If my mentees ever feel unsure or stuck I am here to offer reassurances and help workshop through dead ends that often happen when researching. 

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Roundtable times and Zoom links:
Tuesday, September 5, 12:00-12:30pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91866667368
Wednesday, September 6, 2:30-3:00pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95093944901 
Thursday, September 7, 3:30-4:00pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/99683712261 
Friday, September 8, 12:30-1:00pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94475933933

UROP Program Elements
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Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes
Faculty Advisor Confirmation: {Empty}

Are you interested in attending in a UROP Research Mentor Workshop Series?: Yes
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Year: 2023
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