Recent notable books by 91±¬ÁÏ faculty members look at gentrification and inequity in a New York neighborhood, skin lighteners though history, female agency in Arthurian legend and biographical epitaphs in China across many centuries.

91±¬ÁÏ Bothell’s Christian Anderson explores gentrification of a NYC neighborhood in ‘Urbanism Without Guarantees’

The gentrification of a single street in New York City’s Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood is the scene for this in-depth ethnographic study of urban transformation by , associate professor in the 91±¬ÁÏ Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Arts.

“” was published in March by University of Minnesota Press. The book looks at how residents work to preserve the quality of life of their neighborhood and both define and maintain their values of urban living, taking actions that connect their daily lives to broader structural inequities, for better and worse.

Notes from the publisher call it “a unique more-than-capitalist take on urban dynamics,” adding, “Examining how residents are pulled into these systems of gentrification, Anderson proposes new ways to think and act critically and organize for transformation of a place — in actions that local residents can start to do wherever they are.”

For more information, contact Anderson at cmander@uw.edu.

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Lynn Thomas studies skin lighteners through history in new book

Skin lighteners have been used by consumers for centuries even while being opposed by medical professionals, consumer health advocates and antiracist thinkers and activists.

In her new book, 91±¬ÁÏ history professor traces the changing meanings of skin color, in South Africa and beyond, from precolonial times to the present.

“” was published in January by Duke University Press.

Thomas shows how “the use of skin lighteners and experiences of skin color have been shaped by slavery, colonialism and segregation, as well as consumer capitalism, visual media, notions of beauty, and protest politics,” publisher’s notes said.

Calling the book “nothing short of a tour de force,” one reviewer wrote: “Carefully attending to the complex politics of race and color that are grounded in skin, Thomas at once provides a vibrant history of South Africa and a global history of commodity, beauty and the body. This landmark study sets a new standard in the field.”

For more information contact Thomas at lynnmt@uw.edu.

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Remembered lives: Historian Patricia Ebrey co-edits book on Chinese funerary biographies

Funerary biographies are epitaphs engraved on stone and placed in a grave. They usually focus on the deceased’s life, words and deeds. Tens of thousands of these biographies survive from Imperial China, providing a glimpse into the lives of many people not documented by more conventional sources.

“,” co-edited by 91±¬ÁÏ history professor , is an anthology of translations of such funerary biographies covering nearly 2,000 years — from the through the 19^th century. The book was published in January by 91±¬ÁÏ Press.

Editing the volume with Ebrey were of California State University and of the University of Virginia.

Biographies in the anthology, 91±¬ÁÏ Press notes say, were chosen for their value as teaching material on Chinese history, literature, and women’s studies as well as world history. “Because they include revealing details about personal conduct, families, local conditions, and social, cultural, and religious practices, these epitaphs illustrate ways of thinking and the realities of daily life.”

Ebrey is the author or editor of several books on China, most recently “Emperor Huizong,” in 2014.

For more information, contact Ebrey at ebrey@uw.edu.

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Annegret Oehme of Germanics publishes book on adaptations of Arthurian tale

, an assistant professor in the Department of Germanics, has published a new book about adaptations and translations of , a centuries-old tale describing the adventures of an Arthurian knight, across different languages and media.

“” was published in January by De Gruyter.

The publication explores two previously dismissed pre-modern adaptations of the Middle High German 1215 verse-novel “Wigalois,” and their different approaches to female agency in comparison with the original text and later Yiddish and German versions, in the 14^th and 15^th centuries respectively.

Read more on the department . For more information, contact Oehme at oehme@uw.edu.

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Other book notes:

Epilogue on ecocriticism: , 91±¬ÁÏ associate professor of French, has written the epilogue for a new book that discusses the relationship between contemporary ecological thought and early modern French literature.

“,” edited by Pauline Goul of Vassar and Phillip Usher of New York University, was published in March by Amsterdam University Press.

Publisher’s notes say the volume “foregrounds not how ecocriticism renews our understanding of a literary corpus, but rather how that corpus causes us to rethink or to nuance contemporary eco-theory.”

Read more on the French & Italian Studies Department .

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What are you reading? 91±¬ÁÏ Notebook seeking ‘comfort reading’ recommendations

Though faculty and staff continue to work hard during the coronavirus shutdown, some of us may also have a little more time on our hands for reading. Sometimes an old favorite book can be a comfort.

What are you reading to relax these days? What books would you recommend to fellow faculty and staff as comfort reading?

For me, it’s a re-read of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Two Towers” and classic science fiction short stories by Ray Bradbury in “The Illustrated Man.” And then maybe an epic novel by Herman Wouk — or even a midsummer revisit to “Charlotte’s Web.”

91±¬ÁÏ faculty and staff colleagues: Email me at kellep@uw.edu and I’ll mention some favorite books in subsequent book stories, and possibly on social media.91±¬ÁÏ Notebook.

Block was among many Stroum Center faculty and student affiliates who presented at the 50^th annual of the Dec. 16-18 in Boston. The Stroum Center is part of the 91±¬ÁÏ’s Jackson School of International Studies.

At the conference, Block held a roundtable discussion titled “Teaching the Holocaust in the Age of Trump,” where he said participants remarked on how student attitudes had changed since the panel was first proposed last February.

“Until Pittsburgh, students, even in courses dedicated to study of the Holocaust, did not consider anti-Semitism a real threat and did not think of Jews as a vulnerable minority,” Block said.

Though the Holocaust itself seems to have “receded in importance for today’s students,” he said, “students were for the most part more aware of anti-Semitism and more concerned about similar risks to vulnerable groups today.”

Block said in the last two years, U.S. immigration policies and those elsewhere “have made comparisons between Nazi Germany and these practices necessary and instructive. The vilification of specific groups, the explicit appeal to racist ideologies, and the disrespect for democratic institutions and practices have led even cautious Holocaust historians to warn that the similarities are too close for us to believe it could never happen here.” Jews remain a target of bigotry, he added, and “Jewish life even in America is under renewed threat.”

Missing from the dialogue, Block added, were participants from the South or from schools with religious affiliations. Given the strong response to the December discussion, he said, there may be follow-up discussions at the German Studies Association conference in the fall.

Other presentations by 91±¬ÁÏ Stroum Center affiliates included:

• “Uncovering the : Ladino and the Future of Jewish History” by , associate professor of international studies, history and Jewish studies
• “Animals and the Holocaust in Hebrew Literature,” by , professor of Hebrew and comparative literature
• “Radicalism and Violence in Religious Zionist Thought” by doctoral student
• “Ottoman Jews and the Emergence of Modern Psychiatry,” by doctoral student

Two Stroum affiliates — , 91±¬ÁÏ assistant professor of Germanics and , assistant professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization — also wrote featured articles for the 50^th anniversary issue of , the association’s magazine. Oehme reflected on a key teacher and her path to studying Old Yiddish in “From Old Yiddish to Modern Mentorship” and Zafer told of what brought him to study Judaism in “Found in Translation.”

, director of the Stroum Center and professor of international studies, wrote on the center’s that the founders of the association, which has historically been based in the Northeast, “would have likely been surprised to see the especially strong showing of 91±¬ÁÏ faculty and graduate students playing important roles in this jubilee celebration.”