Faculty and Staff Notes

Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies Yveline Alexis authored the book Haiti Fights Back: The Life and Legacy of Charlemagne Péralte (Rutgers University Press). Her book tour included a January stop at Possible Futures in New Haven, Connecticut, alongside Rhodes Scholar Nadine Pinede and poet Marilyn Pierre.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion Francesca Chubb-Confer published an article in Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East entitled "Remnants of Eternal Possibility: Iqbal and Lyric Time in the Ghazal." The article argues for a new way of reading the Persian poetry of Muhammad Iqbal, one of the most important figures of modern Islamic revival and reform.

Emeritus Professor of English Nicholas Jones has published The Arcadia of Jacopo Sannazaro: A New Translation with Commentary (University of Michigan Press, 2025). It is only the second translation into English of this classic Italian pastoral from 1504.

Emeritus Professor of Ethnomusicology Roderic Knight gave a video presentation and performance January 19 on Elisha Gray's musical telegraph, the world's first electric musical instrument. The event was a concert at the Presbyterian Church in Highland Park, Illinois, held to celebrate the 150th year of the invention, December 29, 1874. Attendees heard a tune on Oberlin's working replica, built by physics department machinist Mike Miller.

Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Sergio Gutiérrez Negrón published two new scholarly essays. The first, “The Literary Labour of Ants Refabulation, Digression, and Utopian Form in Daniel Sada’s Porque parece mentira la verdad nunca se sabe (1999)”, studies literary digression and the speculative potential of animals in fiction. The second, “La ortodoxa excentricidad de Daniel Sada: campo literario, recepción y las ansiedades de la crítica, 1979–1989”, examines the Mexican literary field of the 1980s, exploring how emerging writers navigated a landscape shaped by literary institutionalization and the restructuring of the publishing industry.

Check out Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies Yveline Alexis's Café ak Conversations with professors Edwidge Danticat and Nadine Pinede about the book, When the Mapou Sings.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics Amanda Zadorian was interviewed by the Kyiv Independent for an article about Russia's welfare state and manufacturing consent for the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Professor of Politics Stephen Crowley's latest article about Russia's war in Ukraine appeared in The Nation.

Assistant Professor of Statistics and Data Science Josh Davidson presented two papers at the Transportation Research Board's Annual Meeting in early January: "Is This Your First Time Here?: Older Adults and Mode-Switching on a New Local Bus Route in Philadelphia" and "Navigating Transit Spaces: An Assemblage Approach to Daily Travel". The papers are coauthored with collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas at Arlington.

Senior Writer and Oberlin Alumni Magazine Editor Annie Zaleski authored the book Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs, which cracked bestseller lists for both The New York Times and USA Today in December 2024. Also in December, Zaleski was named one of Cleveland Magazine’s Most Interesting People for 2025. A versatile journalist steeped in rock music writing, Zaleski has authored well-received books on Lady Gaga, Duran Duran, and Harry Styles. Learn more about her on the Cleveland Magazine website and at Oberlin.edu.