Author Archives: Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda

Medical Appointments and Post-Depression -a few thoughts

For those of us who deal with various chronic illnesses, regular medical appointments become routine. For example, for 26 years now, I average spending somewhere around 10-20 days a year at the hospital (the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center) to have various tests and see various doctors. This amounts to a sizable amount ofContinue reading “Medical Appointments and Post-Depression -a few thoughts”

White Gay Men: Privilege, Oppression, and Horizontal Hostility

For my Introduction to Queer Studies class yesterday students read a variety of articles on the theme of White gay/queer men and how they are both privileged and oppressed (and these, of course, vary according to the relevant intersectionality).  Student reading included the following, a mix of blogs and theoretical, academic works:  “Straight White Male: TheContinue reading “White Gay Men: Privilege, Oppression, and Horizontal Hostility”

Issues in Historiography: The Texas Revolution or the Long Invasion of Mexico?

This past few weeks my students and I have been discussing various sides of the so-called Texas Revolution in depth in both my Texas History class and Mexican American History I class. One of my favorite things about teaching is that there is always so much to learn and things change every semester. Anything related toContinue reading “Issues in Historiography: The Texas Revolution or the Long Invasion of Mexico?”

Small Towns, “Knowing Everybody,” and Erasure – Hidden Power of Words Series, #25

Today at lunch I overheard a comment the greeter made to a customer as she seated him. She said something to the effect of so you’ve been in Lake Jackson for fifty years and then said, “so you know everybody and their dog, too.” So-called “small towns” have a long habit of suggesting and believing that individualsContinue reading “Small Towns, “Knowing Everybody,” and Erasure – Hidden Power of Words Series, #25″

In Celebration of Dr. Trevor Lovejoy Pegoda

I am certain I have the sweetest and smartest little four-legged friend in the entire world. Lately, I have been thinking about all of the phrases I know he knows. There’s a lot of them! And they are listed below for you to enjoy. And I say “know he knows” because I can tell byContinue reading “In Celebration of Dr. Trevor Lovejoy Pegoda”

The Dangerous Implications of “All men are created equal” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #24

“All men are created equal” is, of course, one of the most essential doctrines of civil religion in the United States – a doctrine equally in sharp contrast with most human societies.  While it is well-established that “men” did in fact initially only mean men, in particular wealthy White men, it is not so well-establishedContinue reading “The Dangerous Implications of “All men are created equal” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #24″

Exercises in the Philosophy of History: Place and the Narrative

Have you ever heard of Lind, Adams County, Washington? Have you ever heard of Hawai’i?  I’m guessing you have heard of the states Hawai’i and Washington but have not heard of the very small town, Lind. But, how much do you actually know, do any of us actually know about Hawai’i or Washington? Our collective historical, economic,Continue reading “Exercises in the Philosophy of History: Place and the Narrative”