INA DIXON
Wilson Library Dissertation Research Fellowship
Talk: Dan River Mills: Textiles and the Fabric of Jim Crow

Ina Dixon is a doctoral candidate in American studies at UNC-Chapel Hill studying the life and legacy of American southern textiles. Her dissertation offers a case study of Dan River Mills from 1882 until 1951, showcasing how social motivations regarding race propelled the southern capitalist venture of textiles. At the focus of her dissertation is Dan River’s Schoolfield mill village and its built environment, which informs a deeper understanding of how the rise of textiles fueled segregation and white identity in this southern city.
 

REGINA LEE BLASZCZYK
Visiting Summer Research Fellowship
Funded by The Hugh L. McColl Library Fund
Talk: Burlington Industries and the Synthetics Revolution in American Fabrics

Regina Lee Blaszczyk is Professor of Business History and Leadership Chair in the History of Business and Society at the University of Leeds. Her current project, The Synthetics Revolution, is an interdisciplinary history that examines the rise, triumph, maturation, critique, and reinvention of artificial fibers in fashion and interior design. The book casts a wide temporal net, starting with the rayon era of the early 1900s, moving into synthetics with the invention of nylon in 1938, and ending with the ubiquity of man-made materials in our own time. The Synthetics Revolution situates the technological imperative to improve on natural materials within the context of sensory experience and the shift to postmodernity.
 

This informal program is part of the summer and fall Wilson Library Research Forum. Each program is an opportunity to hear from one or more fellows about research work that draws on the collections and expertise of the Wilson Special Collections Library. Please visit Wilson Library’s grants and fellowships page to learn more.