Boston College graduate Millington Bergeson-Lockwood, a historian of race, law, and politics in the 19th century, is the author of Race Over Party: Black Politics and Partisanship in 19th Century Boston (UNC Press, 2018). In this in-depth study, Bergeson-Lockwood demonstrates that party politics became the terrain upon which black Bostonians tested the promise of equality in America’s democracy. By the end of the 19th century, contends the author, it became clear that partisan politics offered little hope for the protection of black rights and lives in the face of white supremacy and racial violence. Even so, Bergeson-Lockwood shows how black Bostonians’ faith in self-reliance, political autonomy, and dedicated organizing inspired future generations of activists who would carry these legacies into the foundation of the 20th-century civil rights movement. Bergeson-Lockwood says he hope his book further expands the understanding of black urban activism and the relationship between racial and partisan politics. Bergeson-Lockwood also blogs for the University of North Carolina Press.
Black politics and partisanship in 19th-century Boston
Alumna with her own book publishing imprint
Christy Ottaviano, who received two master’s degree from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education, is a children’s book editor and publisher with her own imprint at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, where she oversees the entire operation from identifying talent to editing to marketing. Ottaviano has edited several noteworthy books, including the picture book The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller, which went on to become one of Henry Holt Books for Young Readers’ bestselling backlist titles, and When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt, which won the 1999 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and was made into a movie. Ottaviano was recently featured by her hometown newspaper, The Fairfield Citizen.
Irish Nationalists in Boston
Damien Murray, who earned his doctorate in history from Boston College, has published a book based on his dissertation. Titled Irish Nationalists in Boston: Catholicism and Conflict, 1900-1928 (CUA Press, 2018), the book looks at how the intersection of support for Irish freedom and the principles of Catholic social justice transformed Irish ethnicity in Boston during the early 20th century. Irish-American nationalism in Boston became a source of ethnic unity that enabled Boston’s Irish community to negotiate the challenges of the postwar years, including the anti-socialist Red Scare and the divisions caused by the 1919 Boston Police Strike. Murray is on the faculty of Elms College, where he teaches courses in American history. He is also the author of Romanticism, Nationalism and Irish Antiquarian Societies, 1840-80.
Book award for BC alumnus
Boston College alumnus Hidetaka Hirota has been honored with the First Book Award from the Immigration and Ethnic History Society for his book Expelling the Poor: Atlantic Seaboard States and the Nineteenth-Century Origins of American Immigration Policy (Oxford University Press). The award recognizes the work of early career scholars in the field of U.S. immigration and ethnic history and honors the book judged best on any aspect of the immigration and ethnic history of the United States and/or North America. Hirota earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in history from BC.
Translating Isaac Babel
Tablet magazine has published a new English translation—written by BC Professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies Maxim D. Shrayer—of one of the most celebrated works of Jewish fiction. Shrayer has translated, from the Russian, “Awakening,” a short story by Isaac Babel. Shrayer is a professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies and the author/editor of more than 15 books of criticism, biography, nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and translation. His most recent book is With or Without You: The Prospect for Russia’s Jews.
Posted in Boston College Authors
Tagged Jewish, Russian, Slavic and Eastern Languages Dept, translation
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Students contribute to Azadi magazine
Two Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences seniors have recently had articles published in the Boston-based Persian-language cultural magazine Azadi. Austin Bodetti (near left) and Omeed Alidadi (far left), students in Slavic and Eastern Languages and Literature’s “Advanced Readings in Persian” course, translated American news stories for the magazine. The articles were: “The Relation Between Obesity and Fast Eating,” “Iraqi Women Being Sentenced to Death Over Ties to ISIS,” and “Suspicion of Anthrax Sent to Donald Trump Jr.” Bodetti and Alidadi have been invited by the publisher to contribute regularly to the magazine.
Award-winning BC Law exhibit catalog
The American Association of Law Libraries has awarded its 2018 Law Library Publication Award (Print Division) to the BC Law creators of Robert Morris: Lawyer & Activist, the catalog that accompanied an exhibition of the same name in the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room last year. The winning entry was co-curated by Founders Professor of Law Mary Sarah Bilder, a legal historian; Legal Information Librarian and Lecturer in Law Laurel Davis, the curator of rare books; and Access Services Librarian Lily Dyer. The exhibit and 25-page illustrated catalog revealed the essential role Robert Morris—the second African-American lawyer in the United States—played in the Massachusetts antislavery and civil rights efforts. AALL is a body of more than 4,000 law librarian and information specialists and its awards program recognizes the achievements of law librarians for their service to the profession and contributions to legal literature and materials. More from BC Law magazine.
Posted in Awards/Honors, Boston College Authors
Tagged Boston College Law School, Law Library, legal history
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Award for Weiskott
The 2018 Beatrice White Prize has been awarded to Associate Professor of English Eric Weiskott for English Alliterative Verse: Poetic Tradition and Literary History (Cambridge University Press). Presented by the English Association based at the University of Leicester, the Beatrice White Prize recognizes outstanding scholarly work in the field of English literature before 1590.
How to Coach Girls
Seventy percent of kids quit organized sports by age 13, with girls quitting six times the rate of boys. This is one of the realities Alison Foley and Mia Wenjen are hoping to change with their new book, How to Coach Girls (Audrey Press, 2018). Targeted to volunteer parents as well as experienced coaches, How to Coach Girls is a comprehensive guide to coaching girls teams across the spectrum of sports, from soccer to lacrosse, field hockey to softball. The authors cover all the major issues, including how to pick captains, the importance of growth mindset, issues around body image and puberty, as well as the intricacies of coaching your own daughter. Foley is the Head Coach of BC Women’s Soccer. Plymouth WickedLocal article.
Special Delivery
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first installment in J.K. Rowling’s magical seven-book series about a boy wizard and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that ignited a love of reading in a generation of children. Inspired by the BC’s resemblance to Hogwarts, Office of University Communications Creative Producer John Walsh made “Special Delivery,” a Harry Potter-themed video to welcome those accepted to the Boston College Class of 2022. Students have until tomorrow, May 1, to indicate their acceptance of the University’s offer of admission. Read about the making of the video.
BC Bookmarks 