Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP)

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Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) / Archives for history

Professor of History Christine Adams Interviewed on Her Work as a Newberry Library Fellow

Professor of History Christine Adams, on sabbatical work as a Newberry Library residential fellow through June 2021, was interviewed recently about the Newberry Library, her current project: The Merveilleuses and their Impact on the French Social Imaginary, 1794–1799 and Beyond, and on how the events of the past twelve months have impacted her project.

Adams described how current events have affected the way she’s approached her project. Her research is focused on “a really tense and chaotic moment in French history, right after the Terror has come to an end, and the French are trying to stabilize the country (they are at war and the economy is really suffering; in 1795 and 1796 in particular, misery is rampant throughout the country), and they are dealing with immense political divisions. My research has provided a lens to think about current events, and current events have been in the back of my mind as I work on this project.”

Adams’s full interview, along with additional Newberry Fellows, can be read here.

 

Professor Christine Adams Receives Two Prestigious Fellowships

Christine Adams, professor of history, received two prestigious fellowships:  one through the American Council on Learned Societies (ACLS) and the other from the Newberry Library, both long-standing, preeminent pillars of American scholarship in the humanities. Competition for these long-term fellowships was especially steep last year, with a success rate of about 7 percent and 9 percent, respectively. Adams will be an ACLS fellow for the 2020-2021 academic year, and a fellow-in-residence at the Newberry Library in Chicago from January-June of 2021. Both fellowship programs support outstanding scholars conducting innovative and ground-breaking research. ACLS fellows pursue their scholarship anywhere in the world whereas Newberry residential fellows become part of an interdisciplinary community of researchers, curators, and librarians at the Newberry Library where they will have access to wide-ranging and rare archival materials.

During the fellowship year, Adams will conduct research on her newest project, entitled “The Merveilleuses and their Impact on the French Social Imaginary, 1795-1799 and Beyond,” which she describes as follows:“The Merveilleuses (“Marvelous Ones”), a group of approximately 100 stylish and politically-connected young Parisian women, came to define the era of the Directory (1794–1799). Following the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, these chic young women set the tone in French society until Napoleon’s coup in 1799. This project considers the Merveilleuses as a cultural phenomenon as well as their function in the historical imaginary and illuminates how the fixation on their beauty, style, and sexuality has obscured their political and cultural significance.”

Adams is the author or coeditor of five books including her new book with co-author (and sister) Tracy Adams entitled, “The Creation of the French Royal Mistress: From Agnès Sorel to Madame Du Barry,” (2020, Penn State University Press).

Assistant Professor Malena Receives Society-wide Award for Research

Sarah Malena, assistant professor of history, has received the Society of Biblical Literature’s 2020 Regional Scholar Award. Malena was awarded for her paper entitled, “A House for Pharaoh’s Daughter: Diplomatic Marriage and Solomon’s Legacy,” which she presented at the 2019 Mid-Atlantic regional meeting. Her recognition as the Mid-Atlantic recipient of this honor last year made her eligible for this society-wide award.

Malena continues her research into relations between ancient Israel and Egypt during the early Iron Age (circa 1100-900 BCE). Last November, she presented at the annual meetings for the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Schools of Oriental Research. In these presentations, she discussed changes in cultural acceptance of foreign brides in relation to political change in the ancient Near East. As the 2020 Regional Scholar, she will present the next stage of this work at the Society of Biblical Literature’s annual meeting later this year.

SMCM History Student Receives Simpson Scholarship in Egyptology

Student on a camel in front of a pyramid in Giza, Egypt

Poppell at pyramid in Giza, Egypt

St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) student Brandon Poppell ’19 recently received the prestigious Simpson Scholarship in Egyptology. The Simpson Scholarships in Egyptology are available to students who wish to focus their studies on the history and culture of Ancient Egypt.

When asked about the scholarship and his current research Poppell stated “I am a Classics-trained student meaning I have taken ancient history classes at SMCM through the lens of the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds, and my main research interest is Ptolemaic Egypt, which was a Macedonian Dynasty”. In order to gain further background in Egyptology and to understand the way Ptolemaic Egypt functioned, Poppell aspired to study at the American University in Cario (AUC). At AUC, Poppell will pursue courses ranging from archaeology, to history, to art and architecture under Salima Ikram, one of the leading scholars in the field.

Poppell is currently awaiting responses from graduate schools but plans to continue his research on Ptolemaic Egypt for the rest of his academic career. In the meantime, during the 2019 summer he will be working on an archaeological site on Crete which is a Minoan site (1700-1430 BC), while also possibly working at a Greco-Roman site (4th century BC- 4thcentury AD circa) later in December. Poppell would like to thank Dr. Sarah Malena, Dr. Michael Taber, Dr. Linda Jones Hall, and Dr. Julia King for being extremely supportive in his academic endeavors while at SMCM. Poppell “would not be where I am without them”.

This article was written by St.Mary’s College of Maryland student and Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Fellow Mackenzie Brooks ’21.

A statue of Seraphis, a Greco-Egyptian deity (left) and clay depictions of amulets Poppell worked on for an experimental archaeology project (right).

A statue of Seraphis, a Greco-Egyptian deity (left) and clay depictions of amulets Poppell worked on for an experimental archaeology project.