In Memoriam: Stephen V. Ash

We are saddened to learn that noted Civil War historian and UNC Press author Stephen (Steve) V. Ash passed away on October 10, 2021. “Steve was a skilled social historian of the South in the Civil War era, and one who mastered the art of writing deeply researched books that were approachable for the trade while still earning the respect… Continue Reading In Memoriam: Stephen V. Ash

Grampa Fed Me Nettles

The following is a guest blog post by Lytton John Musselman, co-author of Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas: A Forager’s Companion. With Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas, Lytton John Musselman and Peter W. Schafran offer a full-color guide for the everyday forager. Edible Wild Plants of the Carolinas is designed to help anyone enjoy the many wild plants found in… Continue Reading Grampa Fed Me Nettles

2021 American Studies Association Annual Meeting

We hope you’ll visit our virtual booth for the American Studies Association 2021 annual meeting. There you can browse our new and recent titles in American Studies and connect with editors Mark Simpson-Vos, Brandon Proia, and Lucas Church. In addition to all of the great titles on display, we also have several relevant series that we want to be sure… Continue Reading 2021 American Studies Association Annual Meeting

Race, Removal, and the Right to Remain: Removal and the British Empire

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day! We’re happy to be celebrating the first-ever presidential proclamation of this day in which we appreciate Native Americans and their land that we colonized and continue to occupy. In an effort to help celebrate this new proclamation, read an excerpt from Samantha Seeley’s Omohundro Institute and UNC Press recently published book, Race, Removal, and the Right to Remain: Migration and the… Continue Reading Race, Removal, and the Right to Remain: Removal and the British Empire

Executive Editor Elaine Maisner’s interview with Jean Casimir, author of The Haitians: A Decolonial History

The following is a Q&A between UNC Press Executive Editor Elaine Maisner and Jean Casimir, author of The Haitians: A Decolonial History. The Haitians: A Decolonial History, which opens with an eloquent foreword by Walter Mignolo, was translated by Laurent Dubois. The original book, Une lecture décoloniale de l’histoire des Haïtiens de 1697 à 1915, was published in 2017 by Imprimerie Lakay in… Continue Reading Executive Editor Elaine Maisner’s interview with Jean Casimir, author of The Haitians: A Decolonial History

Cuban Memory Wars: An Evening with Michael Bustamante

Back in April, author of Cuban Memory Wars: Retrospective Politics in Revolution and Exile, Michael J. Bustamante held a virtual talk in partnership with Books & Books and The Cuban Research Institute. In this talk, Bustamante speaks with Dr. Jorge Duany, the Director of the Cuban Research Institute and Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies… Continue Reading Cuban Memory Wars: An Evening with Michael Bustamante

Retaliation in the Headlines

The following is a guest blog post by Lorien Foote, author of Rites of Retaliation: Civilization, Soldiers, and Campaigns in the American Civil War. Blending military and cultural history, Lorien Foote’s rich and insightful book sheds light on how Americans fought over what it meant to be civilized and who should be extended the protections of a civilized world. Happy Book… Continue Reading Retaliation in the Headlines

Mark Twain, Publisher, and His Confederate Masquerade

The following is a guest blog post by Stephen Cushman, author of The Generals’ Civil War: What Their Memoirs Can Teach Us Today. In this insightful book, Stephen Cushman considers Civil War generals’ memoirs as both historical and literary works, revealing how they remain vital to understanding the interaction of memory, imagination, and the writing of American history.  Why did… Continue Reading Mark Twain, Publisher, and His Confederate Masquerade

The Shadow of El Centro: Introduction

The following is an excerpt from the introduction of Jessica Ordaz’s The Shadow of El Centro: A History of Migrant Incarceration and Solidarity. Bounded by desert and mountains, El Centro, California, is isolated and difficult to reach. However, its location close to the border between San Diego and Yuma, Arizona, has made it an important place for Mexican migrants attracted… Continue Reading The Shadow of El Centro: Introduction

Mental Illness Awareness Week Reading List

Today’s reading list is focused on mental health as we enter Mental Illness Awareness Week, recognized from October 3rd to October 9th. “Since 1990, when Congress officially established the first full week of October as MIAW, advocates have worked together to sponsor activities, large or small, to educate the public about mental illness.” Below you’ll find a list of various… Continue Reading Mental Illness Awareness Week Reading List

Caribeños at the Table: Setting Hispanic Caribbean Tables in New York City

The following excerpt is from “Setting Hispanic Caribbean Tables in New York City” in Melissa Fuster’s Caribeños at the Table: How Migration, Health, and Race Intersect in New York City. People in Hispanic Caribbean communities in the United States present high rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases, conditions painfully highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both eaters and dietitians… Continue Reading Caribeños at the Table: Setting Hispanic Caribbean Tables in New York City

The Evolution of an Ideal: Servicewomen and Equality in the U.S. Military

The following is a guest blog post by Tanya L. Roth, author of Her Cold War: Women in the U.S. Military, 1945–1980. The 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act created permanent military positions for women with the promise of equal pay. Her Cold War follows the experiences of women in the military from the passage of the Act to the early 1980s. Her… Continue Reading The Evolution of an Ideal: Servicewomen and Equality in the U.S. Military

U.S. Counterterrorism was Counterproductive before 9/11

The following is a guest blog post by Daniel S. Chard, author of Nixon’s War at Home: The FBI, Leftist Guerrillas, and the Origins of Counterterrorism.  Drawing on thousands of pages of declassified FBI documents, Daniel S. Chard shows how America’s war with domestic guerillas prompted a host of new policing measures as the FBI revived illegal spy techniques previously… Continue Reading U.S. Counterterrorism was Counterproductive before 9/11

Civil War Memory and the Twain Effect

The following is a guest blog post by Stephen Cushman, author of The Generals’ Civil War: What Their Memoirs Can Teach Us Today. In this insightful book, Stephen Cushman considers Civil War generals’ memoirs as both historical and literary works, revealing how they remain vital to understanding the interaction of memory, imagination, and the writing of American history.  Happy Book… Continue Reading Civil War Memory and the Twain Effect

Happy National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month: A Reading List

September 15th—October 15th marks National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, celebrating the achievements and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Last Friday we shared a virtual conversation hosted by the Center for Political Education featuring UNC Press author Johanna Fernández in acknowledgement of this month, and now also share a recommended reading list that… Continue Reading Happy National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month: A Reading List

Center for Political Education’s “Writing the Third World” series with UNC Press Author Johanna Fernández and Nadya Tannous

In celebration of National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, we’ve decided to share a virtual conversation hosted by the Center for Political Education featuring UNC Press author Johanna Fernández and Nadya Tannous from the Palestinian Youth Movement. Johanna Fernández is the author of The Young Lords: A Radical History. Utilizing oral histories, archival records, and an enormous cache of police surveillance files… Continue Reading Center for Political Education’s “Writing the Third World” series with UNC Press Author Johanna Fernández and Nadya Tannous

Wayfaring Strangers: Spotify Playlist

Celebrating the second edition of Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia, our Spotify playlist offers a soundtrack for the migration saga chronicled in the book. Some of the artists included here are mentioned or quoted within the pages, and they combine to create an accompaniment well worthy of the epic story.  The running order follows… Continue Reading Wayfaring Strangers: Spotify Playlist

Emancipation, Slavery, and Violence in the Wake of Lee’s Surrender

The following is a guest blog post by Caroline E. Janney, author of Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee’s Army after Appomattox. In this dramatic new history of the weeks and months after Appomattox, Caroline E. Janney reveals that Lee’s surrender was less an ending than the start of an interregnum marked by military and political uncertainty, legal… Continue Reading Emancipation, Slavery, and Violence in the Wake of Lee’s Surrender

Recovering a Forgotten Massacre of Black People in Reconstruction

The following is a guest blog post by William A. Blair, author of The Record of Murders and Outrages: Racial Violence and the Fight over Truth at the Dawn of Reconstruction. Blair uses the accounts of far-flung Freedmen’s Bureau agents to ask questions about the early days of Reconstruction, which are surprisingly resonant with the present day: How do you… Continue Reading Recovering a Forgotten Massacre of Black People in Reconstruction

Wayfaring Strangers: Afterword for a New Second Edition

UNC Press is incredibly pleased to announce the publication of the second edition of Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia by Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr, foreword by Dolly Parton, and with a new afterword by the authors that is excerpted below in its entirety. The New York Times called Wayfaring Strangers upon its publication… Continue Reading Wayfaring Strangers: Afterword for a New Second Edition