Creative Misuse
Humanities scholar analyzes racial perceptions through architecture and home ownership
Assoc. Prof. Adrienne Brown’s groundbreaking research connects the architecture of skyscrapers and the propaganda of home ownership to key transformations in race’s perception. She finds strong evidence to support her argument in political, organizational, and literary sources of the 20th century, with culprits as varied as politicians like Herbert Hoover, organizations such as the National Association of Realtors, and writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Her first book, The Black Skyscraper: Architecture and the Perception of Race (2017), shows the skyscraper’s influence on the shape of modern U.S. cities and the racial perceptions of its residents. For Brown’s insights, her first book won the Modernist Studies Association’s 2018 First Book Award. Her new book, Residential Is Racial: A Perceptual History of Mass Ownership (2024), is equally groundbreaking as she discusses how mass homeownership changed the definition, perception, and value of race in the U.S.
UChicago fourth-year student named 2025 Rhodes Scholar
Francesco Rahe, a fourth-year student in the College at the University of Chicago, has been selected as a 2025 Rhodes Scholar. He will pursue a master’s degree in classical Indian religions at Oxford University this fall and is particularly interested in translating Sanskrit texts.
He is the 55th student from the University of Chicago to be named a Rhodes Scholar. Fourth-year College student Anqi Qu was named a Rhodes Scholar for South Africa last week.
“It means an immense amount to have received this opportunity,” said Rahe, who is majoring in fundamentals and religious studies. “I’m honestly a little stunned, but I also am trying to focus on making good on this opportunity. It’s a gift, but it also comes with responsibilities. I want to make sure what I do in the future is able to repay this thousand-fold.”
Norman Maclean biography uncovers personal stories of beloved UChicago author
The late Norman Maclean was many things: the most decorated teacher of undergraduates in UChicago history; author of the first original work of fiction published by the University of Chicago Press; and a sage to literary-minded anglers the world over.
Until now, however, Maclean, PhD’40, was not the subject of a biography. Rebecca McCarthy, AB’77, has changed that with the publication of "Norman Maclean: A Life of Letters and Rivers" (University of Washington Press).
Unraveling the ancient past one tablet at a time
In the half-dark of a third-floor office, Danielle Levy lifted a clay tablet out of its box. Carefully examining it with gloved hands, she explained how 3,500 years ago, a student in the ancient city of Nippur had copied a teacher’s cuneiform script—and smudged any mistakes smooth with their fingertips.
Ancient objects each tell their own unique stories, the University of Chicago undergraduate has learned. Through her work on Akkadian—the language of ancient Babylonia—the fourth-year student has discovered her passion for uncovering and sharing its unique history.
