ROBYN STANTON
PhD Student
Interests: 19 th -20 th century U.S. history, Long Island history, social history, mental hospitals,
mental health, disability studies, public history, historic preservation.
I am interested in the evolving relationship(s) between mental hospitals and their
surrounding communities. I am curious about how lay perceptions towards psychiatric
institutions and individuals who have historically been viewed as “mentally ill” have
changed over time. My current research explores this dynamic in late nineteenth-early
twentieth century New York against the backdrop of the centralization of care at the
state level and alterations in hospital planning and management. I am also interested
in how history is interpreted and presented in public spaces with an eye towards representations
in museum settings.
Office: S-312
Email: robyn.stanton@stonybrook.edu
Advisor: Nancy Tomes