Graduate Student

Kylie R. J. Seltzer (née Jasinski) is a PhD candidate specializing in nineteenth-century French architecture. In 2012, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with high distinction from the University of Minnesota, double-majoring in French & Italians studies and art history. Her research examines how architecture, architectural history, and archeology were used as scientific evidence for race theory in public exhibitions. Her master’s thesis, entitled, “The Aryan Contribution: Visualizing Race Through Architectural History in Charles Garnier’s Histoire de l’habitation humaine” revealed how Garnier employed the framework of contemporary race theory to structure his full-size exhibit of historic houses for the Exposition universelle of 1889 in Paris. Her dissertation, tentatively titled, “Constructing Race: Visualizing ‘The Other’ through Architecture, 1860-1890,” serves as an expansion of her MA; this larger project will include other Parisian sites and events such as the Jardin d’Acclimatation, the Expositions universelles of 1867 and 1878, and the Musée d’Ethnographie.  

In her free time, Kylie can be found practicing yoga, enjoying the company of her loved ones, or anticipating the next episode of Game of Thrones.