This past January nine students from the Public Humanities program left their perspective winter break destination and headed to Hong Kong, to work on two projects under the guidance of Professors Susan Smulyan and Robert Lee. Through the course of a week the students worked in two groups, in collaboration with faculty and students from Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). One group focused on a cultural interpretation project with CUHK Professor Oscar Ho (look out for their work at the “Along The Edge Arts Festival” in April).

The publication of a new book can offer the chance for its author to reflect on the travels that brought the work into the world. Here Micah Salkind (PhD Brown, American Studies, MA Public Humanities) discusses his Do You Remember House? Chicago’s Queer of Color Undergrounds (Oxford University Press, 2019) with Kiri Miller, Professor of American Studies and Music – Ed.

KM: What was your relationship to house music and culture before you started to study it formally?

As a public historian, I am interested in the intersection of history and memory. Why do we remember our past the way that we do? Who or what dictates how we remember? What stories are left out of our collective memory of the past? As a Public Human, I have had the opportunity to work on several projects that address these questions, including an ongoing one about one of my favorite places: Charleston, South Carolina.

For my Public Humanities semester practicum, I branched out from my usual sphere of work and applied to a private conservation company. While my interests do lie in textile and costume history, I came at it from a material culture and history angle initially and thus had not previously gotten a chance to work in science and preservation.