‘Understanding Imperiled Earth' Digs into Climate History

When Paris’s Notre Dame burned in 2019, experts quickly realized there weren’t enough large trees in Europe to accurately reconstruct the cathedral’s roof.

That was the moment anthropology alum Todd Braje realized how humanity’s history is connected to climate change.

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‘Pacific Arts Aotearoa’ Celebrates New Zealand History

After a three-year labor of love and a long-standing desire to give a voice to Pacific artists, Associate Professor Lana Lopesi offers a mosaic of narratives that delve into the complex and unique history of Aotearoa New Zealand in Pacific Arts Aotearoa.

More than just a compilation, the book serves as a celebration of resilience and a testament to cultural diversity while calling for more inclusivity of Pacific voices in art and literature.

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‘The Sisterhood’ Celebrates Black Feminist Writing

In 2004, Courtney Thorsson, an English associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, first learned about a photo of a group of Black women that would take her nearly 20 years to investigate. Gathered in a prewar New York apartment, the black-and-white photo included writers Toni Morrison, June Jordan and Alice Walker. Thorsson’s new book, The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture, brings together documents, close readings and interviews to show readers the transformational activities that occurred at those gatherings. 

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'Red Leviathan' Explores the History of Soviet Whaling

While conducting research on the Russian fur trade, Department of History Professor Ryan Tucker Jones kept encountering whales, both in literature and in real life. Upon learning that the Soviet Union had conducted a massive illegal whaling campaign in the 20th century, he knew he had something important to write about. His resulting book, Red Leviathan: The Secret History of Soviet Whaling, was shortlisted in June for the prestigious Pushkin House Book Prize and won the John Lyman Book Award from the North American Society for Oceanic History in 2022.

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