A virtual conference on Enemies in the Early Modern World, 1453-1789: Conflict, Culture and Control, hosted by University of Edinburgh, was recently held in March 2021.
The conference call for papers reads: “From Luther’s insistence that the Pope is the antichrist, to Cortes’s justification of the conquest of Mexico on the grounds of Aztec human sacrifice, from the expulsion of Jewish people from the Iberian peninsula following the Reconquista to the subjugation and enslavement of human lives to fuel the trans-Atlantic slave trade, from Dutch trials for homosexuality in the 1730s, to accusations of witchcraft during the British Civil Wars, the conflicts and exploitations of the Early Modern World were often fueled and ‘justified’ by a belief in an enemy. Such belief systems would inspire textual, visual and auditory polemic, and propel physical action, thereby ‘othering’ people of a different religion, ethnicity, culture, dynastic allegiance, gender and sexuality into imagined enemies, justifying the need to control and inflict violence upon them. This conference, open to researchers of history, literature, visual culture, politics, theology, philosophy and archaeology etc, will explore the processes by which individuals, communities, and countries were fashioned into the role of the enemy, as well as the dreadful consequences, such as war and persecution. By moving from the local to the national, from the national to the global, and through an interdisciplinary vantage point, we aim to reconstruct the construction of enemies in the Early Modern World. We invite papers from researchers at every stage of their academic journeys, and PhD students and Early Career Researchers are particularly encouraged to apply.”
I presented a paper on “Cosmic War and Global Empire: Religious Constructions of Enemies in the Early Modern World,” at the conference and enjoyed participating in the discussions.
The Enemies in the Early Modern World conference webpage is on the University of Edinburgh website.
Here is the job announcement from Interlochen Center for the Arts:
A global destination for artists and arts enthusiasts, Interlochen Center for the Arts nurtures creativity through five dynamic platforms: Interlochen Arts Camp, the renowned summer arts program; Interlochen Arts Academy, the nation’s premier fine arts boarding high school; Interlochen Presents, a producer of more than 600 annual performances by internationally celebrated guest artists, Interlochen students, and faculty; Interlochen Public Radio, two listener-supported, 24-hour public radio stations (classical music and news); and Interlochen College of Creative Arts, a convener for lifelong learning in the arts. The Humanities Instructor will teach a course load of five sections, either in History or Literature and Composition. Special consideration will be given to candidates able to teach courses in African American Studies, Asian Studies, or English as a Language. Additional consideration will also be given to candidates with demonstrated skill and interest in teaching students at all levels, grades 9-12.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Creates course curriculum, course handouts, lectures, labs, presentations, and other course materials required to deliver course information in an understandable and interesting manner to ensure students are engaged with the course material in order to achieve the course learning outcomes Teaches a full load of classes in a variety of humanities subjects Develops and maintains a course page through Canvas learning management software. Maintains up-to-date attendance and gradebook records. Completes timely and thorough interim and grade reports. Writes letters of recommendation for college admissions. Serves as a mentor for an advisory group. Collaborates and builds relationships with fellow faculty members. Provides office hours 4 days a week for students (minimum of 30 minutes per session) and holds scheduled evening tutorials when needed. Attends department, division, faculty, community and other meetings as necessary. Participates in mission oriented events like all-school events and student performances.
Experience and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies, Social Sciences, English as a Language, History, Political Science, Literature, Composition or related field required. Master’s degree a plus. Recent high school teaching experience preferred. Experience teaching all levels of high school (or desire to do so) preferred. Ability to demonstrate effectiveness in creating course materials (syllabus, handouts, presentations, etc) which enhance student interest and engagement. Ability to use technology to introduce new materials. Background or interest in the arts is a valuable asset.
Application Materials Required
Resume Cover Letter Transcript Teaching Philosophy
The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is searching for a new History teacher to teach American and World History to its students.
The Academy is a state-supported high school that focuses on preparing talented students for university studies in the sciences.
Graduate students in History at Northern Illinois University may be particularly interested in this job position, which would be ideal for a graduating MA student, recent MA, or PhD candidate in History.
The IMSA position description reads:
“The History Department at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is seeking a History Teacher to teach university level surveys and seminars in American History to talented high school students. The selected candidate will be responsible for curriculum delivery as well as ongoing development and revision of existing classes. Candidates for the position should have at least a Master’s Degree in History or a related field (PhD preferred). Specializations in History of any STEM-related topic preferred. The successful candidate must be able to teach courses in American History and potentially World in the 20th Century.”
“The internationally recognized Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students (grades 10–12) in its advanced, residential college preparatory program. It also serves thousands of educators and students in Illinois and beyond through innovative instructional programs that foster imagination and inquiry.”
Undergraduate students who have studied ancient, medieval, and early modern history will be especially well positioned for this teaching position. For more information on the pre-modern history programs at Northern Illinois University, see the Department of History website and especially the webpage on the History Major.
Here (below) is the full position announcement:
Teaching Associate – Social Studies
University Laboratory High School
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applications for the position of Teaching Associate in Social Studies at the University Laboratory High School. This is a 9-month, renewable, non-tenure track academic staff appointment at the University of Illinois. Salary is commensurate with degree and experience. This position would begin August 12, 2021 after the successful completion of a criminal background check.
University Laboratory High School is a 5-year public school for 325 select students—including a subfreshman class with students entering from either sixth or seventh grade. A laboratory mission of innovative curriculum development, outreach to other schools and the community, and/or involvement with professional organizations and University of Illinois programs are part of the overall job responsibilities.
The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability or veteran status. For more information, visit go.illinois.edu/EEO.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Teach 3 sections of 9th grade World History to academically talented students, with a focus on world history before 1500, including world religions, and two semester-long social studies electives at the 11/12th grade level.
Develop innovative curricula and teaching strategies, in support of the school’s “lab mission” which includes: o Development of innovative curriculum and its dissemination. o Advancement of pedagogical practice to academically talented students and its dissemination. o Engagement in professional service on and off the university campus. o Partnerships with the university on research opportunities. o Partnerships with other schools and community entities.
Sponsor/supervise students doing extracurricular projects, experiential learning, competitions, or research.
Participate in school activities normally required of teachers, such as attendance at faculty, department, and grade-level meetings; committee membership; club sponsorship; and assistance with and support of school functions.
Required qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in a Social Science or Humanities field.
Ability to teach both younger students in required 9th Grade classes as well as upper-level students in electives.
Evidence of effective and creative teaching experience.
A demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity with regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.
Desirable qualifications:
Graduate degree in a social science discipline or education.
Significant experience in social studies education (previous teaching, degree, or educational research) and knowledge of best practices in social studies education.
Experience effectively teaching diverse groups of students and the ability to articulate strategies for supporting students with varied experiences and needs.
Evidence of effective and creative secondary teaching experience, evidence of integration of technology into instruction, experience in developing innovative instructional materials, experience with teaching research skills, project-based learning, community partnerships, and/or experiential learning.
Willingness to participate in interdisciplinary projects and willingness to coordinate intra-departmental curriculum to provide a cohesive five-year social studies education program.
Experience with alternative schedules, such as block scheduling.
Application Process:
Please complete your candidate profile at jobs.illinois.edu and upload a cover letter, resume, contact information for three professional references, and sample lesson plans, examples of innovative classroom activities or materials developed by the candidate, and relevant publications or presentations in science or engineering laboratory or educational research. To ensure full consideration, application materials must be received by May 3, 2021. Interviews may begin prior to the close of the search, however, no hiring decision will be made until after the close date. For further information about this position, please contact Jennifer Steiling at steiling@illinois.edu.
This is a security-sensitive position. The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer.
The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit Policy on Consideration of Sexual Misconduct in Prior Employment.
High school teachers have been confronting the difficulties of teaching History and Social Sciences online over the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These subjects are incredibly complicated, requiring the use of images and maps to teach teenage students about international cultures and societies across different periods of world history.
The Renaissance Society of America is offering a new award to recognize high school teachers’ efforts at teaching Renaissance studies online.
Here (below) is the Renaissance Society of America’s announcement:
In the wake of the COVID pandemic, high school teachers around the globe have been searching for and creating new ways to immerse their students in the experience of Renaissance culture. In an effort to recognize and share these innovative teaching methods, the RSA is delighted to announce a new competition for the best online teaching projects in secondary education.
The three winners of this competition will each receive an award of $1,000 and will present their projects at a Zoom conference that we plan to make available to a wide range of secondary school teachers, not only current members of the RSA but those who want to learn more about Renaissance studies. The conference will be held on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
The competition is open to scholars actively engaged in teaching high school students: for instance, museum docents, library curators, and directors of education at theatre companies as well as high school teachers. Proposals from such fields as art history, drama, history, literature, languages, and music are all welcome. The project could include virtual tours of museums, architectural sites, or rare book libraries, or online performances of drama and music. The deadline for proposals is Monday, May 17, 2021. Please email us at rsa@rsa.org with any questions.
Sincerely,
The RSA Committee for Grants in Support of Innovative Teaching of Renaissance Studies to High School Students
Five hundred years ago this month, a monk and radical religious reformer confronted the powerful Holy Roman Emperor at the Imperial Diet held in the city of Worms in April 1521.
Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and professor at the University of Wittenberg, in ducal Saxony, had written the Ninety-Five Theses almost four years earlier in 1517 and their publication had produced widespread religious controversy and debate throughout the German speaking lands of the Holy Roman Empire. Luther wrote further polemical texts and published them as religious pamphlets using printing presses, igniting fierce debate among Christians in Germany.
Ecclesiastic authorities of the Latin Christian Church responded to Luther’s polemical writings with criticism and accusations of heresy. In June 1520, Pope Leo X accused Martin Luther of deviating from Church teachings and ordered him to recant his ideas. Luther refused to conform to papal authority, leading the Pope to excommunicate him in January 1521.
The new Emperor Charles V von Habsburg was eager to resolve the escalating religious controversies in the Empire. Charles V had been elected Holy Roman Emperor in June 1519, following the death of Emperor Maximilian I von Habsburg, and then crowned King of the Romans in Aachen in October 1520. The young Emperor called for the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire to assemble in the city of Worms in order to consult on the religious controversy.
Diet of Worms, depicted in a woodcut print, 16th century
The clerical, noble, and urban elites who served as representatives of the Imperial Diet convened at Worms in January 1521. The Imperial Diet deliberated for several months on various political and social issues affecting the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Charles V summoned Martin Luther to the Imperial Diet and granted him a safe conduct to attend the assembly. Luther appeared in the Diet chambers on 16-18 April 1521, and was confronted by theologians and lawyers, including Johann von Eck, who challenged Luther to acknowledged his authorship of polemical writings attributed to him and to renounce their heretical ideas.
Martin Luther acknowledged his authorship of his writings, but refused to recant any of his ideas unless they could be proved not to be based on Scripture. Luther concluded: “I cannot and will not recant, since it is difficult, unprofitable and dangerous indeed to do anything against one’s conscience. God help me. Amen.”
Following the dramatic confrontation, Luther departed Worms and went into hiding at the castle of Wartburg, under the protection of Friedrich III, Duke of Saxony. Emperor Charles V declared Luther a heretic and issued an arrest warrant for him: “After the impertinent reply which Luther gave yesterday in our presence, I declare that I now regret having delayed so long the proceedings against him and his false doctrines. I am resolved that I will never again hear him talk. He is to be taken back immediately according to the arrangements of the mandate with due regard for the stipulations of his safe-conduct. He is not to preach or seduce the people with his evil doctrine and is not to incite rebellion. As said above, I am resolved to act and proceed against him as against a notorious heretic, asking you to state your opinion as good Christians and to keep the vow given me.”
When the Diet of Worms concluded, Emperor Charles V issued the Edict of Worms (25 May 1521), declaring Martin Luther’s ideas heretical.
Edict of Worms, May 1521. Image: City of Worms Archive
News of the confrontation at the Diet of Worms spread rapidly due to accounts published in printed Flugschrift (news pamphlets) and distributed throughout the Holy Roman Empire. Luther continued to publish new theological and polemical works that challenging papal leadership and asserted new criticisms of official Church teachings.
The confrontation at the Diet of Worms had failed to resolve the religious controversies surrounding Luther’s writings and instead exposed the serious nature of his theological positions and his criticisms of ecclesiastical authority. The Diet of Worms thus the deepened the religious controversies within Germany and led to the fragmentation of the Latin Christian Church.
The city of Worms has prepared a series of events to commemorate the Diet of Worms of 1521, but the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted or postponed many of those events.
DW reports on the 500th anniversary of the Diet of Worms. The German History in Documents and Images (GDHI) website has English translations of key documents about the Diet of Worms, including Martin Luther’s Declaration, Emperor Charles V’s Response, and the Edict of Worms.
Renaissance music is being studied in new ways at the Medici Archive Project in Florence, Italy.
A news magazine piece on “Rescuing Sacred Music of the Renaissance” from CBS Sunday Morning features Music and the Medici, a research program of the Medici Archive Project that focuses on recovering and restoring Renaissance music.
The CBS Sunday Morning feature is available for streaming on the CBS News website: [https://www.cbsnews.com/video/rescuing-sacred-music-of-the-renaissance/].
The video includes interviews with Mark Spyropoulos (Director of Music and the Medici) and Alessio Assonitis, (Director of the Medici Archive Project).
Renaissance Music from the Music and the Medici Research Program at the Medici Archive Project
The CBS Sunday Morning feature focuses on one facet of the Medici Archive Project’s research, but information on its other research programs and digital humanities projects is available on the Medici Archive Project website.
A manuscript volume from the Mediceo del Principato collection in the Archivio di Stato, Firenze
I have long worked with the Medici Archive Project and am pleased to see this news magazine feature on their ongoing historical research.
I previously served as a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow with the Medici Archive Project (2003-2006) and continue to collaborate with their research team through workshops, conferences, digital humanities projects, and publications. I contributed to the development of the Medici Archive Project Database and the BIA Platform, launched online in 2012. Alessio Assonitis and I co-edited a collective volume, The Grand Ducal Medici and their Archive (1537-1743) (Turnhout: Brepols, 2016). I taught a session at the Medici Archive Project Summer Seminar in Paleography and Archival Studies in summer 2019. More recently, I beta tested the new Medici Interactive Archive (MIA) Platform, launched in Summer 2020 (online at http://www.medici.org). I am currently preparing a paper for an upcoming conference organized by the Medici Archive Project on The Medici and the Perception of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The American Association of University Professors(AAUP) has issued the findings of its annual Faculty Compensation Survey and the picture is not pretty.
“The survey found that real wages for full-time faculty decreased for the first time since the Great Recession, and average wage growth for all ranks of full-time faculty was the lowest since the AAUP began tracking annual wage growth in 1972. After adjusting for inflation, real wages decreased at over two-thirds of colleges and universities. The number of full-time faculty decreased at over half of institutions,” according to the AAUP.
The decrease in real wages for full-time faculty members is particularly alarming, since it suggests the direct impact of the defunding of higher education in the United States (especially at state universities).
There are fewer and fewer professors at universities and colleges, as more part-time instructors are being employed in adjunct and temporary positions. The full-time professors who are still employed at universities and colleges are earning less.
The AAUP provides details on its survey methodology: “Data collection for the AAUP’s 2020–21 Faculty Compensation Survey concluded in March, with 929 US colleges and universities providing employment data for nearly 380,000 full-time faculty members as well as senior administrators at nearly 600 institutions. In addition to full-time faculty employment data, institutions reported data for over 100,000 part-time faculty members who were employed in the prior academic year (2019–20). Data on part-time faculty were collected for the prior academic year, 2019–20, to ensure that institutions could provide complete data records.”
This year’s Faculty Compensation Survey tracked the usual salary data, but also has some additional features from previous years: “To understand the ways in which institutions responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AAUP also asked participating institutions to identify how many faculty members–both tenure-line and non-tenure-track–were impacted by actions taken by institutions. US colleges and universities have taken a wide range of actions in response to financial difficulties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when many institutions were already struggling to balance their budgets, many lowered their expenditures by implementing hiring freezes, salary cuts, fringe benefit cuts, furloughs, and layoffs. The results of the AAUP’s 2020–21 Faculty Compensation Survey highlight the prevalence of such actions and how they have affected faculty members.”
For the full Faculty Compensation Survey, see the AAUP website.
For broader context on faculty members’ status within higher education institutions, see Benjamin Ginsberg, The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why It Matters (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011). The book description is available at the Oxford University Press website.
Benjamin Ginsberg offered a book talk in 2014 on the GBH Forum Network, available on YouTube. The online publication Inside Higher Ed interviewed Benjamin Ginsberg about the book in 2011.
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an important ancient Egyptian city near the modern city of Luxor.
The archaeological excavations began in September 2020 and seem to be revealing the “lost golden city” of Akhenaten.
National Geographic reports: “Three thousand four hundred years ago, a contentious ancient Egyptian king abandoned his name, his religion, and his capital in Thebes (modern Luxor). Archaeologists know what happened next: The pharaoh Akhenaten built the short-lived city of Akhetaten, where he ruled alongside his wife, Nefertiti and worshipped the sun. After his death, his young son Tutankhamun became ruler of Egypt—and turned his back on his father’s controversial legacy. But why did Akhenaten abandon Thebes, which had been the capital of ancient Egypt for more than 150 years? Answers may lie in the discovery of an industrial royal metropolis within Thebes that Akhenaten inherited from his father, Amenhotep III.”
Excavated remains of walls and buildings at archaeological site near Luxor. Photo: Zahi Hawass Center for Egyptology
According to The New York Times, “Archaeologists said on Thursday [8 April 2021] that they had uncovered a large ancient pharaonic city that had lain unseen for centuries near some of Egypt’s best-known monuments. The city was built more than 3,400 years ago during the opulent reign of Amenhotep III, one of Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs, according to the Egyptian archaeologist overseeing the excavations, Zahi Hawass.”
Betsy Bryan, Professor of Egyptian Art and Archaeology (Johns Hopkins University) has called the find the “second most important archaeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun.”
“The site dates from the era of 18th-dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III, who ruled between around 1386 and 1353 B.C. and presided over an era of extraordinary wealth, power and luxury. In Amenhotep III’s final years, he is thought to have briefly reigned alongside his son, Akhenaten. But a few years after his father’s death, Akhenaten, who ruled from around 1353–1336, broke with everything the late ruler stood for. During his 17-year reign, he upended Egyptian culture, abandoning all of the traditional Egyptian pantheon but one, the sun god Aten. He even changed his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaten, which means ‘devoted to Aten.’ The heretic pharaoh didn’t stop there. Akhenaten moved his royal seat from Thebes north to a completely new city he called Akhetaten,” according to National Geographic.
BBC News, The New York Times, DW, and National Geographic report on the excavations. Professor Betsy Bryan’s profile is available at the Department of Near Eastern Studies webpage at Johns Hopkins University.
The Society for Military History is organizing its upcoming annual meeting.
The Society for Military History (SMH) is a major academic organization that promotes research on war, culture, and society in all geographic regions and historical periods. The SMH publishes the Journal of Military History and hosts an annual academic conference each spring.
The registration is now open for the Society of Military History Conference, which will be held in Norfolk, VA, and online on 20-23 May 2021. Due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, this meeting of SMH will be also be broadcast virtually.
Here is the SMH announcement on the virtual sessions:
“Virtual Conference Attendance—Registration is OPEN!!!
“It has never been easier to attend a SMH meeting. If you cannot travel to Norfolk, please check out the Virtual Conference Registration tab. We plan to broadcast all 85 panels across all 3 days. It’s the next best thing to being there. Log in instructions to follow by individual email to each virtual registrant. Sign up NOW!”
Northern Illinois University students who have taken HIST 384 History of War since 1500, HIST 414 European Wars of Religion, HIST 423 French Revolution and Napoleon, HIST 760 Religious Violence in Comparative Perspective, HIST 790 Religious Politics and Sectarian Violence, or other courses on war and society may be interested in the themes of this conference.
Any NIU undergraduate or graduate students who are interested in attending the conference in person or virtually should contact me by e-mail about registering. Prospective graduate students who are considering studying History at Northern Illinois University are also invited to contact me. My faculty page at the Department of History website is: https://www.niu.edu/clas/history/about/faculty/sandberg.shtml
Brian Sandberg: Historical Perspectives 