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Past Research Done at the Archives


Researchers come to the Kautz Family YMCA Archives for a wide variety of purposes. Common uses for the collection include local histories, biographies, and genealogy, as well as academic research.

Sample Topics of Past Research

A sample listing of some of the subjects others have successfully investigated using material held by the Kautz Family YMCA Archives is presented below as an aid to understanding the breadth of research topics supported by the collection. For more information on this research or to find out about related material in the Archives' collections, contact the staff.

  • The YMCA response to the challenge of McCarthyism
  • The role of the intercollegiate YMCA and YWCA in the post-World War II civil rights movement
  • The impact of the YMCA on Japanese national identity and Japanese Christianity
  • The YMCA and the social gospel
  • The influence of the YMCA on Chinese public health care policies
  • Christianity in China
  • Women and basketball
  • The architectural legacy of the YMCA and its role in the social history of modern architecture in the United States
  • Racism and nativism in YMCA work with immigrants
  • The education of black soldiers during World War I
  • The evolution of the Council for Religion in Independent Schools
  • The role of sports in the military during World War I
  • Baseball as a civil religion
  • Work with prisoners of war
  • Pedagogical methods for teaching science
  • The YMCA and American manhood
  • The challenges of using archival collections to study the history of sexuality
  • Homosexuality in the YMCA
  • The history and significance of the YMCAs work with women and girls
  • The relationship between physical education and Christianity
  • The American YMCA and the creation of the Czechoslovak state
  • The use of photography as a morale boosting device during World War II
  • The role of the YMCA on college and university campuses

Publications Based on YMCA Archives Research

The following is a list of major publications of the last 10 to 15 years based on research done all or in part at the Kautz Family YMCA Archives. Almost all items are available in the Archives collections. Contact the staff for more information.