Alumni
Virtual Societies Spotlight Featured Dr. Karen Dunak
Muskingum University hosted a Virtual Societies Spotlight for members of the Muskingum and Heritage Societies. The event featured Dr. Karen Dunak, Professor of History and the Arthur G. and Eloise Barnes Cole Chair of American History.
Dr. Dunak discussed her new book, Our Jackie: Public Claims on a Private Life, published by NYU Press. The talk was an overview of the book with particular focus on the memorialization efforts of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis that took place after her death. The inspiration was the contemporary memorialization of President Carter and media commentary that such tributes often reveal as much about the person paying tribute as they do about the person being memorialized.
The book evaluates how media coverage of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis changed over the course of her very public life. Spanning four decades, JKO was alternatively praised for her service to others and pilloried for her perceived self-interest. Dr. Dunak argues that whether she was portrayed as a campaign wife, a loyal widow, a selfish jetsetter, or a mature career woman, the history of Jackie’s highly publicized life demonstrates the ways in which news, entertainment, politics, and celebrity evolved and intertwined over the second half of the twentieth century. Our Jackie suggests that media coverage of this enigmatic public figure revealed as much about the prevailing views of women in America – how they should behave and whom they should serve – as it did about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as an individual.
Dr. Dunak is the author of As Long As We Both Shall Love: The White Wedding in Postwar America (New York University Press, 2013) and Our Jackie: Public Claims on a Private Life (New York University Press, 2024). She is also a contributor to Of The People: A History of the United States (Oxford University Press, Fifth Edition, 2021). Her work has appeared in Gender & History, The Journal of Popular Culture, The OAH Magazine of History, The American Historian, The Sixties: A Journal of History, Politics and Culture, Public Books, Salon, the Washington Post, and the Columbus Dispatch. She teaches the second half of the US History survey, US Women’s History, and various topics courses on Modern US History.
The Virtual Societies Spotlights are exclusive online events showcasing research and projects by Muskingum faculty and students. Reserved for Society members only, these engaging webinars provide a direct connection to the university's latest academic achievements. Alumni can stay connected with Muskingum's intellectual community through these dynamic presentations of current scholarship and innovation.
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