Sara Fieldston
My interests include twentieth-century U.S. history; women’s and gender history; the history of childhood; and the histories of social work and psychology. In particular, I explore conceptions of the family and their connection to larger political constructs during the Cold War era. My dissertation, "Bringing Up the World's Boys and Girls: American Efforts to Assist Children Overseas, 1945-1979," looks at the history of American efforts to help children abroad, epitomized in the phenomenon of child sponsorship. The project examines how American voluntary groups' efforts to assist foreign children were not only philanthropic undertakings but also political projects aimed at influencing the trajectory of development overseas. Please visit my website, www.sarafieldston.com, for more information.
I completed oral examinations in the following fields: U.S. History, 1865-present; Comparative Histories of Women; and American Legal History, Reconstruction-present. The members of my dissertation committee are Joanne Meyerowitz, George Chauncey and Jenifer Van Vleck.
Originally from New Jersey, I graduated from Barnard College in 2005. Please feel free to contact me with questions regarding graduate study at Yale.
