November 2023 Public Humanities Newsletter
A monthly newsletter from Humanities for All, an initiative of the National Humanities Alliance.
In This Newsletter:
If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to our Substack (for free!) so that you receive the newsletter in your email inbox and don’t miss any news in the future. We also encourage you to submit items to share. If you have any questions or would like to connect about the newsletter, please email Younger Oliver at yoliver@nhalliance.org.
Calls for Proposals
NHPRC Grant Opportunities
Applications due November 2, 2023
The National Historical Publications & Records Commission invites applications for three of their grant programs: archival projects, public engagement with historical records, and publishing historical records in collaborative digital editions. Learn more and apply here.
2024 NCPH Working Groups
Application due November 15, 2023
The application process is now open for discussants to join the National Council on Public History’s (NCPH) 2024 working groups. These groups cover a variety of topics; public humanists may be interested in “Creating a Teaching Tool for Community-Engaged Work,” which will create a digital booklet showcasing public humanities projects for classroom use. As a buildable syllabus, the booklet will include scalable readings, classroom activities, and discussion questions. Participants will share about their own projects to think across the group’s collective work. These case studies will demonstrate different strategies for community collaborations. Learn more and apply here.
The Public Historian: Special Issue
Proposals due December 1, 2023
The Public Historian journal invites proposals for papers to be included in a special issue on cemeteries, graveyards, and massacre sites. This special issue endeavors to put into conversation places of burial, cemeteries, graveyards, and massacre sites within public history and historic preservation. Learn more and submit a proposal here.
U.S. Latina & Latino Oral History Journal: Special Issue
Abstracts due April 1, 2024
The U.S. Latina & Latino Oral History Journal is a research publication created to mine, showcase, and promote the rich field of oral history as it relates specifically to the U.S. Latina and Latino experience. The journal invites abstracts for an upcoming special issue on oral history and literary criticism. Learn more and submit an abstract here.
Upcoming Events
Public Humanities and Community Engagement Webinar
November 4, 2023 | 11:00 AM–12:30 PM EDT | Virtual
The History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas and Detroit Public Library present a digital humanities webinar on the Millican massacre project, which, through community and student participation, has documented the 1868 massacre of freed peoples in central Texas. Presenters Amy E. Earhart and Toniesha Taylor will discuss how communities might work with universities and colleges to not only document such events of racial violence, but also to enact contemporary instances of restitution. Learn more here.
Documenting the Impact of the Humanities in Higher Ed: Research Methodologies
November 9, 2023 at 2:00 PM EDT or November 17, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT
This workshop is part two of a five-part professional development course in documenting the impact of the humanities in higher education. While the full course has already started, each workshop can also serve as a stand-alone event for those looking to learn more about each topic. This workshop will focus on different research methodologies that can be used to document the impact of the humanities, including surveys, focus groups, interviews, photos/videos, and more. Attendees will learn about the methodologies and spend time writing specific questions for their own purposes. Learn more and register here.
Publication and Project News
Recently on the Humanities for All website:
On the Humanities for All blog, St. Mary’s College (located in Notre Dame, Indiana) faculty member Laura Williamson wrote about The Displacement Project, a two-year public humanities project focused on the Sisters of the Holy Cross and their work with refugees and displaced peoples in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
“Q&A with Joseph Plaster on the Peabody Ballroom Experience: Part I and Part II” are a set of posts on the History@Work blog from the National Council on Public History. Written in an interview format, the posts detail Plaster’s work on the Peabody Ballroom Experience. You can also read about this project on the Humanities for All blog.
In a recent piece in Reviews in Digital Humanities, Henry T. Christopher and Aniruddha Mukhopadhyay review the Maine Digital Collaborative. The Maine Digital Collaborative is a digital initiative that publishes content in multiple modalities for the general public and aims to facilitate collaboration between artists, activists, educators, entrepreneurs, and community and business leaders.
“Preserving Las Vegas: The Role of Community Engagement and Adaptive Reuse in Las Vegas Home + History” is a recent post by Paige Figanbaum on the History@Work blog from the National Council on Public History. In the post, Figanbaum details her experience developing tours of Las Vegas that are dedicated to educating about—and advocating for—preservation, urban sustainability, and community development in Las Vegas.
Employment and Funding Opportunities
The history program at Simmons University invites applications for a full-time Assistant Teaching Professor in Modern History with a focus on gender. Applicants with an interest in the public humanities are especially preferred. Review of applications began on October 23, 2023, but will continue until the position is filled.
The Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA) in Alexandria, VA invites applications for an African American History Curator. As a member of OHA’s new African American History division, this position will focus on the acquisition, documentation, care, and access to OHA collections representing the cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity of the city, with an emphasis on the experience of African American Alexandrians. As part of this work, they will cultivate relationships with residents, community-based institutions, and organizations to collect, research, and interpret Alexandria’s African American history. Apply by November 1, 2023.
The University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI) seeks a Postdoctoral Scholar in Climate Communications and Environmental Justice. This position will work in close collaboration with UCHRI personnel, School of Humanities partners, UC project scientists, and community groups as part of the Wildland-Urban Interface Climate Action Network. This position will engage in applied research and research-driven programming in the area of climate communications and environmental justice. Candidates must hold a PhD in a humanities-related field, with degree in hand prior to the appointment start date. Apply by November 1, 2023, for full consideration; applications will continue to be accepted until November 30, 2023.
The department of English at the University of Oregon invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position specializing in the study of Latinx Literature and Cultural Production to begin on September 16, 2024. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their public humanities experience in their materials. Apply by November 1, 2023.
The University of Miami invites applications for an Assistant or Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures with a specialization in Latin American Cultural and Literary Studies. Preference will be given to candidates who focus on film studies and/or visual culture; candidates with experience in public humanities are especially encouraged to apply. Apply by November 1, 2023.
The history department at Texas A&M University invites applications for two full-time positions in Public History, one at the rank of tenure-track Assistant Professor and one at the rank of Associate Professor with tenure, to begin in the fall of 2024. Apply by November 1, 2023.
The Center for Digital and Public Humanities at the University of Missouri - Kansas City invites applications for a Digital and Public Humanities Coordinator to facilitate the academic programs, student internships, public programming, and grant- and gift-funded programs and projects associated with the center. This position will provide administrative support for the daily operations of the center as well as help to advise and manage student workers and interns connected to the Center and its related programs and projects. Apply by November 6, 2023.
Baltimore City Hall invites applications for a Public Arts Curator. This position will work closely with artists, communities, collectors, institutions, and other professionals in the art world to create engaging exhibitions and installations that educate and inspire the public. The curator may manage budgets, coordinate events and tours, and develop educational programs to promote community engagement with the arts. Apply by November 7, 2023.
The Program in International Languages & Cultures at the University of West Georgia invites applications for an Assistant Professor of International Languages & Cultures (with expertise in German and/or French) to begin in August 2024. This role also includes contributing in one or more of the following areas: theory and practice of translation and interpretation, digital humanities, public humanities scholarship, and experiential learning through study abroad and work-based learning/internships. Apply by November 15, 2023.
The department of European languages and transcultural studies at the University of California, Los Angeles invites applications for an Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor of Black European Studies. Applicants should have fluency in at least one of the main language traditions of the department (French, German, Italian, and/or Scandinavian languages), and may work in film and media studies, literary studies, cultural studies, translation, and/or any area of the experimental humanities (digital, environmental, medical, urban, or public humanities). Apply by November 15, 2023.
The School of International Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Arizona invites applications for an Assistant Professor in the field of French Cultural Studies. Areas of particular interest include experimental humanities (digital, environmental, urban, or public humanities) among many others. Apply by November 15, 2023.
The department of classical and ancient near Eastern studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor of Classical Studies with a specialization in Latin literature. Preferred candidates will help strengthen their existing academic community with collaborations, build new communities through interdisciplinarity and public humanities, and attract new students through innovative courses and pedagogy. Apply by November 15, 2023.
The Department of French and Italian at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for a tenure-stream Assistant Professor working at the intersection of transnational Italian studies and one (or more) of the department’s four curricular and research networks: environment; gender & sexuality; film & media; and nation/translation. The department welcomes interests in the digital and public humanities. Apply by November 17, 2023.
The Jackman Humanities Institute (JHI) at the University of Toronto invites applications for a Visiting Public Humanities Faculty Fellowship (VPH) to be held in 2024–2025. The fellowship is intended to foster knowledge exchange between the academy and the public. The JHI VPH will be a mid-career, tenured faculty member from another institution who has a demonstrated track record of bringing humanities research out of the classroom and university press, and into the broader public realm for discussion, debate and examination across multiple media platforms, and who is experienced in addressing audiences outside the academy. Apply by November 30, 2023.
The National Park Service, National Park Foundation, and American Conservation Experience invite applications for the Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. There are 16 available projects and locations available for two-year fellowships. Apply by December 1, 2023 (although postings will close when 75 applications have been received for an opening).
The Department of Classical Languages and Literatures at Smith College invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin in July 2024. The candidate must also have a record of active engagement with new directions in the Classics field, possibly including but not limited to race and ethnicity in antiquity, environmental issues or science and technology in the ancient world, uses and abuses of the classical tradition and other reception studies, and/or public humanities. Apply by December 15, 2023.
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) invites applications for the inaugural AVDF/ACLS Fellowships for Research on the Liberal Arts, made possible by a generous grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (AVDF). This peer-reviewed fellowship program provides funding and data training for up to five scholarly projects that draw upon the newly available College and Beyond II (CBII) database. Apply by December 15, 2023.
The Humanities Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Public Humanities, supported by the Mellon Foundation Humanities Without Walls (HWW) initiative. The postdoctoral fellow will spend the two-year term in residence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and pursue a community-based research project rooted in the HWW grant’s guiding methodologies of reciprocity and redistribution. Apply by January 15, 2024.
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University seeks a Program Coordinator to work with the MA in Engaged & Public Humanities and the MS in Environmental Metrology. This position will be part of a team of program coordinators who work together to collectively meet the needs of 13 Interdisciplinary Studies programs.
The University Libraries at the University of South Carolina invites applications for a University Historian. This role will serve as the principal resource on matters of historic interpretation, representation, and commemoration of the University of South Carolina for the university community and beyond. They will research, create, and disseminate original scholarship on the University’s past in collaboration with appropriate partners (e.g., the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Civil Rights History and Research, McKissick Museum, all units of University Libraries Special Collections), and other relevant university, local, regional, and state entities.
The history department at Rutgers University-Camden invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor beginning in Fall 2024. The department seeks faculty with experience or interest in developing courses with civic engagement and experiential learning components, in addition to candidates who can contribute to the department’s public history offerings.
The Community, Alumni, and Player Relations department at the Boston Red Sox invites applications for a part-time Archives and Collections Assistant. This position will assist and be responsible for inventorying recent acquisitions as well as preserving existing collections. The position will also assist in overseeing and creating exhibits to display and highlight the archives and its collection.
As always, check out the latest postings on the job boards for the National Council on Public History and the American Association for State and Local History, which provide lists of opportunities that might be of interest to those trained in the public humanities.
Interested in careers in scholarly publishing? Check out the Association of University Presses and the Society of Scholarly Publishing job boards.
Interested in careers in museums? Check out the American Alliance of Museums job board.