Faculty and Staff Notes

Associate Professor of Anthropology Amy Margaris and second-year student Isabel Handa published the joint essay “When the Ancestors Call to You” on the American Alliance of Museums’ Center for the Future of Museums blog. The essay reflects on their recent experience repatriating the skull of a Native Hawaiian kupuna (ancestor) that had been in Oberlin’s possession for a century and a half. Their piece addresses historical trauma associated with historic teaching collections, welcoming both Indigenous and Western forms of knowledge in the academy, and advice to other Indigenous individuals and collections stewards for successful collaboration.

Professor of Psychology Nancy Darling was interviewed about parenting and parenting style on NPR’s Connection podcast with Marty Moss-Coane. She discussed best parenting practices in developmental, cultural, and historical contexts.

Associate Professor of Creative Writing Emily Barton publishes her review of Maria Hummel’s new novel, Goldenseal, in The New York Times Book Review.

Assistant Professor of German Jessica Resvick organized two panels at the Modern Language Association Annual Convention on the theme of “Photography by Other Means.” Papers explored how photographic and para-photographic techniques were deployed in German and Germanophone literature, art, media, and science of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Professor of Politics Stephen Crowley was interviewed by the BBC World Service about how the war is affecting Russia's economy.

STEM Librarian and Head of the Science Library Eboni Johnson was elected on January 2, 2024, as the new President of Oberlin City Council. Her dedication to education and community service promises a bright future for the city.

Jackie Zubin begins one-year term as NAFSA: Association of International Educators Region VI (Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio) Conference Planner and will be planning the 2024 regional conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Josh Whitson begins a two-year term with NAFSA: Association of International Educators' Trainer Corps program as a member of the Trainer Development Training Team.

Stephen R. Platt reviewed Professor of East Asian Studies Sheila Miyoshi Jager's latest book, The Other Great Game: The Opening of Korea and the Birth of Modern East Asia (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2023), in The Wall Street Journal (22 Dec 2023).

Stephen Crowley contributed an opinion essay to The Hill entitled “Futile Military Solutions Cannot Solve Political Problems.” He wrote about “The Long-Run Challenges to Economic Growth and Social Stability in Russia” for the Russian Analytical Digest. His commentary, “After a Ceasefire, Would Russia Simply Fight Again?” in “War on the Rocks.”