The Academic Advisory Committee of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP) has awarded Professor Chani Marchiselli, Ph.D., of the Department of English, the Jeanne D. Smith Incentive Fund.
Professor Marchiselli researches women’s presses in the late 19th century. Her project “Aspirational Publics: The Women’s Press from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era” investigates how presses, owned and operated by women, created a network of readers and organizations that shaped the debate over social and political reform towards a more egalitarian and inclusive civic and political life.
“Smith funds will allow me to finish gathering, reading, and putting into context, representative suffrage, labor, and temperance presses,” says Marchiselli. In addition to supporting the research and analysis, the funds will sponsor a reduced course load, allowing Professor Marchiselli more time for her research. She is also planning to hire an undergraduate research assistant to help collect and analyze data.
Professor Anne Holthoefer, Ph.D., of the Department of Politics and chair of the NHIOP Academic Advisory Committee, explains, “This project is an important opportunity for our students to gain hands-on experience in historical research and textual analysis. Professor Marchiselli’s research contributes to our understanding of how the increased circulation of print media expanded the public sphere and was central to increased democratic participation.”
The Jeanne D. Smith Incentive Fund supports faculty research in areas that relate to the NHIOP’s emphasis on politics and civic life. Sponsored projects usually study either domestic or international political and/or civic life broadly conceived. The selection committee also considers how the projects can enlighten, educate, and encourage civic participation and public service.