Tender Relics
The Diaries of American Adolescent Girls

For more than 40 years, historian and Cornell Professor Emerita Joan Jacobs Brumberg has been identifying and using published and unpublished diaries in her research about American adolescent girls. These diaries range from early 19th century journals of piety to 21st century electronic apps. In her illustrated presentation, Brumberg will sketch the history of this iconic mode of adolescent female expression, revealing common themes across time as well as the ways social change has impacted diary content.