Title: The Legacy of Christianity's Weaponization in Colonial Virginia Against Marginalized People
Department: Religious Studies
Description: This project seeks to explore the legacy left behind by Colonial Virginian views regarding Christianity and how these views impacted the lives of marginalized people. This project will look at Colonial Williamsburg's representation of women, Indigenous Peoples, and Black people. This research intends to build off prior work regarding analysis of Colonial Williamsburg's Cry Witch!, a dramatized reenactment of the 1706 witch trial of Grace Sherwood, and how it represents women accused of witchcraft at the time. The research conducted over the summer would touch not only on Sherwood's story but other women victims of a similar fate, and Black and Indigenous people who faced different forms of oppression through religion. How Colonial Williamsburg represents marginalized people and their adversities throughout its programming is critical to understanding how we memorialize certain groups today.
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Advisor: Annie Blazer
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