Dennis Richey '74 University Fellows Fund

This summer, Emma explored literature on nationalism and its political uses within democratic societies. More specifically, it examines the patriarchal underpinnings of liberal nationalism. While nationalism is often associated exclusively with authoritarian regimes, it also plays a significant role in democracies, where it can be leveraged by political leaders to achieve specific goals.

The United States is widely considered to be one of the most powerful countries in the world. The Fragile States Index (FSI), published by the Fund for Peace (FFP), measures countries on 12 different metrics to determine the likelihood that the state will collapse. One would expect the US to be one of the least fragile states in the world, yet it does not even make the top 20. The US ranks 41st on the FSI in between Poland and Barbados. Things look even worse when looking at individual metrics.

For my Fellowship this summer I produced and published a collection of four short fiction stories that explored the experience of a Romanian family as they immigrate to the U.S, assimilate, and grow apart as time passes. These stories were inspired by a piece I created for my advanced fiction class in the fall 2021 semester, as well as my own personal experience with my Romanian-American family.