Emily Christine Brankman ’26 wins the 2026 Oakes and Louise Ames Prize

Emily Christine Brankman ’26, a dance and history double major, Classics minor and scholar in the Peace and Conflict Pathway from West Newbury, Massachusetts, was awarded the 2026 Oakes and Louise Ames Prize for her honors thesis, “one, and other, one another, another (again): A Historical and Embodied, Kinetic and Theoretical Investigation of Otherization,” at Connecticut College’s 108th Commencement May 17.

Intricate and highly original, Brankman’s thesis explores otherization and its use as a tool for power through theoretical, historical and movement-based investigations. Over the course of the academic year, Brankman worked with a group of nine dancers to develop and choreograph a nearly 30-minute performance piece. She incorporated theories and presentations of otherness by philosophers, artists and activists from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Martha Graham to Edward Said into her choreographic research process. After examining othering across disciplines and time, Brankman powerfully asserts that otherization can be countered only through intentional acknowledgment and accountability.

Named for the late president emeritus of the College and his wife, the Oakes and Louise Ames Prize is given to a graduating senior who has completed the year’s most outstanding honors study. The prize is offered by the trustees in recognition of the quality of academic achievement that Oakes and Louise Ames fostered during their 14 years of service to Connecticut College.

In a letter nominating Brankman for the Ames Prize, Dayton Professor of Dance Rosemarie Roberts praised her use of lighting, costuming and movement along with her capacity to critically analyze and discuss dancemaking and called Brankman’s thesis a “stunning performance and paper that demonstrates the highest level of artistry, academic rigor and achievement.”

Professor of Dance David Dorfman, who served as Brankman’s thesis adviser, said that “through her precise and expansive interpretation of systematic theories of othering and her translation of those ideas and behaviors into artistry and movement,” Brankman makes the compelling case that otherization is a learned and chosen behavior. “Her thesis calls upon readers and viewers to recognize the consequentiality of their own choices and reminds us that proximity, intimacy and empathy can be a crucial salve if utilized effectively.”