Michigan in the World
Michigan in the World let undergraduates dive deep into archives and share their findings with the public.
Working with a faculty expert and graduate student coordinator, students engage in extensive original research and present their findings in digital exhibits designed for public and classroom audiences. This public history program is a partnership with the Bentley Historical Library and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Photo: 2025 Michigan in the World team members at the Bentley Historical Library (from left) Brooklyn Oxandaboure, Jeffrey Veidlinger, Jeanette Lawrence, Haley Deitsch, Audrey Rosenberg, Lily Herman, Eden Reavis, Tessa Florida, and Miriam Mora (photo by Joseph W. Ho)
-
Pure Michigan: The History of Hate in the Great Lakes Region
This exhibit explores several leading individuals, publications, movements, and organizations that contributed to the spread of hateful ethnic, religious, or racial ideology in the Midwest and beyond in the twentieth century.
-
“Hold Me Up”: Narrative Histories of Black Community Building in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, 1910s-1970s
This public history project offers five narrative histories that illustrate and animate the histories and labor of local Black residents of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
-
Mental Health at Michigan
This exhibit explores the ways in which race, gender, sexuality, and nationality all influenced the experience, treatment, and future of student mental health at the University of Michigan.
-
The Philippines and the University of Michigan, 1870-1935
This research project explores materials contained at the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library related to the US colonial period in the Philippines.
-
Walking in the Steps of Black Women: A History of the University of Michigan
Black female students have been attending the University of Michigan for over a century. This project explores the social world of Black students—investigating their lives before, in, and after their time at U-M.
-
Give Earth a Chance: Environmental Activism in Michigan
Give Earth a Chance traces the origins of the environmental movement in the state of Michigan and in modern America
-
Go Blue: Competition, Controversy, and Community in Michigan Athletics
Today, sports at the University of Michigan are big business and sometimes big controversy. Inspired by these developments, the researchers of this year’s Michigan in the World project have taken a critical look at the history of sports at U-M.
-
“A Dangerous Experiment”: Women at the University of Michigan
The year 1817, when the University of Michigan was founded, holds immense significance for the history of the university—except for women. It wasn’t until 53 years later, in 1870, that women were officially admitted to U-M.
-
The University of Michigan and the Great War
Using the University of Michigan campus as a base, this exhibit explores how local stories connect to the global events of the First World War.
-
Resistance and Revolution: The Anti-Vietnam War Movement at the University of Michigan, 1965-1972
“Resistance and Revolution” publicizes research conducted by undergraduate students about the history of the anti-Vietnam war movement at U-M.
-
Divestment for Humanity: The Anti-Apartheid Movement at the University of Michigan
“Divestment for Humanity” explores more than a decade of anti-apartheid activism at the University of Michigan.
-
Ending the Business of Injustice: Anti-Sweatshop Activism at the University of Michigan, 1999-2007
“Ending the Business of Injustice” focuses on the history of anti-sweatshop activism at the University of Michigan.