Nayan Shah, professor of American studies and ethnicity and history, has been elected a member of the Society of American Historians. Membership in the society serves as testament to the literary excellence demonstrated in a scholar’s portrayal and analysis of American history, and this recognition celebrates Shah’s exceptional narrative prowess and the scholarly distinction in his historical work.
Joan Flores-Villalobos, assistant professor of history, has received the 2024 David Montgomery Award from the Organization of American Historians (OAH) for her book The Silver Women: How Black Women’s Labor Made the Panama Canal (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023). Silver Women illuminates the oft-overlooked contributions of Black West Indian women to the construction of the Panama Canal. OAH, the largest professional organization dedicated to U.S. history, recognized Flores-Villalobos fo her contribution to scholarship and historical discourse.
Percival Everett, Distinguished Professor of English, was named on the Los Angeles Times’ list of the 50 Best Hollywood Books of All Time. His book Erasure (Graywolf Press, 2011) appears at No. 20 on the list, which encompasses fiction and nonfiction across genres and decades and was compiled from a survey of experts in the worlds of publishing and entertainment. The book was the basis for the Academy Award-winning movie American Fiction.
Evelyn Alsultany, professor of American studies and ethnicity, was named on the Los Angeles Times’ list of the 50 Best Hollywood Books of All Time. Her book Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race and Representation after 9/11 (NYU Press, 2012) appears at No. 46 on the list, which encompasses fiction and nonfiction across genres and decades and was compiled from a survey of experts in the worlds of publishing and entertainment. The L.A. Times notes that Alsultany’s book “keenly avoids endorsement of neat categories like ‘good’ and ‘bad’ representation, aiming instead to complicate how it is that media images on either side of that divide can fuel meanings that end up justifying policies of exclusion and inequality.”
Elizabeth Durst, associate professor (teaching) of writing, has been awarded the prestigious Award for Distinguished Service by the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL). The accolade recognizes Durst’s exemplary leadership as executive director of AATSEEL from 2011 through 2023, where she significantly contributed to the organization during difficult times. Her efforts include adapting to digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic, spearheading fundraising initiatives, and fostering discussions on current geopolitical challenges.
Lydie Moudileno, Marion Frances Chevalier Professor of French and professor of French and American studies and ethnicity and comparative literature, has been bestowed the Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Order of Academic Palms). This national honor conferred by the French Republic upon eminent academics and educators acknowledges their invaluable contributions to the realms of academia, education and scientific inquiry.
Joan Flores-Villalobos, assistant professor of history, has earned a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, which supports research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities. The grant will facilitate research and writing for her forthcoming book Veins of Gold: Race, Environment, and Nation in an Amazonian Borderland.
Jessica Zu, assistant professor of religion and East Asian languages and cultures, was appointed a 2023–2024 Faculty Fellow of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study for her project “Karma, Science, and a Just Society: Buddhist Philosophical Toolboxes for Post-Racial and Post-Caste Worldmaking.” The residential fellowship includes a stipend, a research allowance and subsidized housing as well as weekly work-in-progress seminars and communication skills training designed to help fellows develop work that is accessible to broad audiences.
Adrian De Leon, assistant professor of American studies and ethnicity, has won the 2022–2023 Carleton C. Qualey Memorial Award for his article “Frank Mancao’s ‘Pinoy Image’: Photography, Masculinity, and Respectability in Depression-Era California” in the Journal of American Ethnic History. The award, established by the Immigration and Ethnic History Society, recognizes and honors the best article published in the journal during the 2022 calendar year.
