Áhn’s tips for new researchers:
“Take pictures of everything, even if in the moment it doesn’t seem important to you—you never know if you might end up needing it later!”
Áhn seeks to understand the rise of gendered juvenile incarceration in the South and Midwest in the decades between Reconstruction and the Progressive era. The research focuses on Kansas and Missouri to explore how contested histories of colonization, enslavement, abolition, and punishment impact the relationship between childhood, family, and the state that lead to the growth of juvenile carceral systems.
What libraries, archives, or sites do you plan to visit in summer 2025 for your research?
Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City, Missouri.
What documents/artifacts are you hoping to examine during this archival research?
I am planning to examine the archival documents of various carceral institutions in Missouri, including the papers of the Board of Corrections, the Missouri State Penitentiary, the Boonville Training School for Boys, the Chillicoathe Training School for Girls, and the Missouri Training School for Negro Girls.
Are you receiving any research funding or grants for your summer work?
Neal Ira Rosenthal History Department Travel Grant.
What makes the experience of doing archival or site-based research meaningful to you?
My favorite part of doing archival research in person is the experience of being able to touch and hold archival documents. Since my methodological practice in this research project is concerned with the function of paperwork as a critical technology in incarceration, it is especially important for me to be able to interact with the physical sources in the archive.