The work of Professor Jason Oliver Chang, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, recently was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education. In an article titled “Coronavirus Is Prompting Alarm on American Campuses. Anti-Asian Discrimination Could Do More Harm,” Emma Dill highlights Professor Chang’s initiative in tracking incidents of racism against Asian Americans since the outbreak of the coronavirus. While he is not aware of any incidents occurring at UConn, he recognizes the need to document instances of discrimination at universities across the United States.
Month: February 2020
Graduate Student Spotlight: Keeping Up With Marc Reyes
Marc Reyes is a History Ph.D. Candidate with research interests spanning 
foreign relations history, economic and political development, South Asian studies, and the histories of science and technology. A proud Midwesterner – born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri – Marc recently completed a Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship in Delhi, India from 2018-2019, and soon will be returning home to undertake a doctoral fellowship at the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering, and Technology. Marc’s dissertation “seeks to enable scholars of India, of foreign relations, and of science and technology to better understand how a range of Indians imagined what nuclear energy could mean for their nation’s future.” In addition to his doctoral studies, Marc also serves as an editor for Contingent Magazine.
In the most literal sense of trying to keep up with Marc and his impressive list of accomplishments, please enjoy the following Graduate Student Spotlight!
Q: To begin, where are you right now and what are you doing?
A: Right now, I am in Austria. I am spending two weeks in Vienna conducting research at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) archive. This week I am reviewing IAEA Board of Governor reports and official minutes of IAEA Meetings. Next week I turn my attention to the archive’s substantial collection of press clippings and mission reports.
Q: From 2018-2019, you were in India on a Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship. Could you share the impact that this experience had on your research, development of your project, and broader understanding of India.
A: The Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship filled in large gaps I had in my research, but also raised a lot of interesting questions and threw a ton of new information (at least to me) my way. At times it can be daunting sifting and making sense of all this research, but more and more I see the people and events that make up each chapter and how I will string everything together to make sense of the larger story. The biggest takeaway from my Fulbright experience was I can see how this project will end and I am excited to get there.
As for better understanding India, I had opportunities to visit a few states and see different parts of the country. Experiencing the country up close, you definitely see the differences – in languages, customs, and food – between north and south India. I was based in Delhi so my knowledge is best regarding the city. Delhi can be an overwhelming place, with lots of people and noise at all hours, but after a while, a familiar rhythm sets in and you start to notice when construction crews start and stop working or when vegetable sellers come around. India is a special place. My family and I look forward to many future visits to see again the wonderful friends we have there.
Q: What was your experience working in the role of a representative of the United States, and American academia, through the Fulbright Program? Did this experience resonate with your studies in US foreign policy?
A: The Fulbright office, especially the United States-India Educational Foundation (who administers the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship), emphasizes from the beginning of your fellowship the importance of people-to-people diplomacy. One of your jobs while there is to meet people. It’s not hard, just listen and ask questions. It’s the best way to learn about a new place and the people that call it home. This was true at my affiliated university, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). I did a few lectures for the students there, but what was even better was talking to the students there before and after my talks or having a chat over chai. I was happy to talk and learn about their own projects and suggest U.S. scholars or works about their research topics. Even now I’ll message my friends there about a fellowship opportunity that looks promising or a new work they should check out. I feel as though I am a member of two great academic communities, one at UConn and the other at JNU.
When it comes to U.S. foreign policy, I had the privilege of visiting the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi a couple times. I saw the diverse and difficult work U.S. diplomats do and it is truly inspiring to see what tackle on any given day. You develop a newfound appreciation for their service and when you’re in India, you feel better knowing they have your back.
Q: How have you transitioned out of the Fulbright mindset, and what is next for your project?
A: What helped my transition was seeing family and friends again. From India, I flew to Kansas City, Missouri (my hometown) and spent the holidays with family. Then in early January I drove up to Connecticut and caught up with friends. Having a few weeks off was what I needed to recharge and prepare for this latest research trip. After Austria, I will take up a two-month doctoral fellowship at the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering, and Technology and press on writing dissertation chapters.
Q: In addition to being a Fulbright fellow and earning more accolades, such as the World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship from the Smith-Richardson Foundation, you also are an editor for Contingent Magazine. What attracted you to Contingent Magazine? What is the most rewarding aspect of being an editor?
A: What attracted me to Contingent Magazine was a feeling that this could be something special and I knew from the start I wanted to be a part of it. I don’t usually have a fear of missing out on something, but I had a strong sense to stay with this project and see where it went. For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an editor is seeing an article go from pitch to publish. It takes time and a lot of work but our contributors produce some great writing. I see my role as helping good ideas become great articles and I want every piece to find its audience. I’m always pleased whenever our writers tell us that they have been trying to publish their piece for a while but hadn’t found the right place for it until they discovered Contingent. I love that we can be the home for the piece that means so much to you.
I must add I am incredibly fortunate that my Contingent colleagues are Bill Black and Erin Bartram. Even when I was in India, we made our editorial triad work and I think the magazine is better for it. I have not known Bill as long, but Erin and I met at UConn. She is a history department alumnus and her dissertation defense was the first I ever attended. I still remember her students showing up to it, wearing t-shirts with quotations from her dissertation. Years later I remain amazed at the type of person that inspires people like that. We stayed in touch and I was honored when she asked if I wanted to be a part of what became Contingent. It feels great to build something and I’ll be forever proud of our plucky magazine. I encourage folks, especially UConn alumni, to check out the magazine. We publish features, reviews, and shorter pieces, including profiles of historians and the work they do. We believe that history is for everyone and that people are hungry for all types of historical topics. If you check us out and like what we publish, then share our articles and spread the good word about us. We exist entirely on donor-support and have built the magazine one donation at a time.
Q: Finally, could you share your favorite research find from the past year, and why?
A: It’s tough to say a favorite, but one amusing find that stands out is this document between P.N. Haksar, who was Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s chief advisor, and U.S. Ambassador to India Chester Bowles. The story goes that in 1967, Gandhi sent birthday wishes to the leader of North Vietnam and the U.S. was furious she sent a congratulatory message to a leader whose forces were fighting U.S. troops. There was also a rumor that she only did this to needle the U.S. who had placed strings on aid to India and demonstrate to her citizens that she could take U.S. assistance but not be a lackey to the United States. I had come across passing references to the incident in books, but the source was either another book or hard to decipher. Sure enough, the P.N. Haksar papers at the Nehru Library in New Delhi confirmed the story. Haksar told Bowles that India had sent Minh a similar message the year before and nobody from the U.S. had complained about it. Haksar described it as a perfunctory message with language they often used when wishing happy birthday to any foreign leader. The episode revealed how a single message could complicate U.S.-Indian relations and even birthday greetings have a history of their own.
Matthew Guariglia, UConn Ph.D. ’19, Publishes in Slate
On February 17, Matthew Guariglia contributed to Slate Magazine with an article titled “Facial Recognition Technology is the New Rogues’ Gallery.” Using his historical training and interest in surveillance in the United States, Guariglia considers the similarities between the current debate over privacy and the previous one from the turn of the twentieth century.
Matthew received his Ph.D. from UConn in 2019 with a dissertation that “explored how U.S. colonialism, immigration, migration, and demographic shifts in New York City changed the way the state learned about urban subjects, and triggered a shift in the way police understood their jobs.” Currently, he serves as a visiting scholar in the Department of History at the University of California-Berkeley, and as a policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
“Fulbright Contributes to Dynamic Irish Program at UConn”
Did you know that UConn is one of the few institutions in the US where students can study Old, Early Modern, and Modern Irish language and culture? Or that, thanks to the hard work of Professor Brendan Kane, UConn is leading a multi-institutional and international initiative to recover and codify the Irish language through the website Léamh.org?
On February 12th, CLAS’ Literatures, Cultures, and Languages (LCL) Department blog featured the exciting initiatives that are being undertaken by UConn to keep traditional Irish language and culture alive. The well-detailed post features the work of Professor Brendan Kane (Department of History and LCL) and Professor Mary Burke (Department of English), as well as the involvement of students, such as History graduate student Emmet de Barra, in Léamh and campus organizations.
To read LCL’s excellent summary, please click here!
Prof. Rozwadowski Honored with Henrietta Harvey Distinguished Lecture
On February 12th, Professor Helen Rozwadowski will be taking the podium at Memorial University to deliver the Henrietta Harvey Distinguished Lecture. Established in 1964, the lecture series invitees “highly-regarded scholars” to deliver a lecture, and spend time with faculty, students, and staff through panels and discussion. Sponsored by the Department of Sociology, the Department of Classics, the Department of History, and the Maritime Studies Research Unit, Professor Rozwadowski’s is titled “Writing Ocean Histories”.
For an interview between Prof. Rozwadowski and Memorial University’s Gazette, please click here.
Prof. Sinha Contributes to Discussions of Impeachment
The Senate’s acquittal of President Trump kept media outlets, and Professor Manisha Sinha, busy during the week of February 5th. TIME Magazine‘s article, “Where Trump’s Acquittal Fits Into the History of Impeachment, According to Historians,” features Professor Sinha’s view of the Senate vote, its place in American history, and the future of the Republican Party. Democracy Now! also interviewed Professor Sinha for the second time this year to receive her follow-up remarks on the impeachment process.
Professor Sinha is the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair of American History at the University of Connecticut. She currently is on leave as a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University.
For the article, click here.
For the TV interview by Democracy Now!, click here.
Prof. Jason Chang Interviewed for Slate Article on Coronavirus
On February 4th, Jane C. Hu published an article titled “The Panic Over Chinese People Doesn’t Come From Coronavirus” in Slate. The article includes thoughts from Professor Jason Oliver Chang on the history behind the racialized thinking of Asians as disease carriers. Professor Chang is an Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies, and Director of UConn’s Asian and Asian American Institute. To read the article, click here.