The Tripod

Assistant Professor of English Christopher Hager was awarded a fellowship by the National Endowment of Humanities (NEH) amounting to $50,400 for the 2010-2011 academic year, during which he will be on sabbatical. The fellowship is one of 319 humanities projects sharing $20 million in grant awards.

The NEH is for the purpose of conveying history to Americans, as well as promoting humanities in general. The four areas of funding for grants are providing access to cultural resources, education, research, and public programs. According to the NEH Web site, the purpose of the NEH is to "strengthen teaching and learning in the humanities in schools and colleges across the nation, facilitate research and original scholarship, provide opportunities for lifelong learning, preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources, and strengthen the institutional base of the humanities."

The funding from Hager's fellowship, one of 11 granted in Connecticut, will go towards a book Hager is putting together, entitled "A Colored Man's Constitution: Emancipation and the Act of Writing." The book is based upon Hager's graduate work, which focused on 19th century American literature relating to slavery and the Civil War.

Documents being used include journals and letters written by former slaves during the emancipation period. While many believe that former slaves could not write at the time of emancipation, Hager has unearthed numerous documents that prove that notion incorrect.

Hager's research does not only go towards his book, but also partly was the basis of a class he taught last semester, English 318: Literacy & Literature. Holding the class meant that now "there are about 20 Trinity students who spent part of their fall studying some of the rare materials - documents written by marginally literate slaves and former slaves - that my fellowship is enabling me to continue researching and writing about," he said.

Classes previously taught by Hager while at Trinity include English 205: Introduction to American Literature II, English 217: Introduction to African American Literature, and English 408: American Realism and Urban Life.

However, his class last fall was most closely related to his ongoing research.

"What was great about this class was it forced you to take a step back from the traditional stock English classes and examine the process of reading, why people read and the significance of literacy and literature for individuals and cultural communities," said Verity Sayles '11.

"Prof. Hager guided us through literacy narratives from characters who hailed from a myriad of cultural backgrounds and time periods throughout American history. It was an active process of reflection on something the majority of us literate individuals have been doing since kindergarten, and our discussions revealed a constant interplay of the reader, the reading and the outside world. It was probably one of my favorite classes at Trinity because it forced you to question not only what literacy meant for particular characters or historical figures, but what it meant to you as an individual."

Hager hopes that his research and eventual book will bring about revelations like these for more than those 20 students.

In a press release on Trinity's Web site, he noted, "If we want to understand the transition from slavery to freedom, we have to understand what people thought, not only what they wrote, but how they used their new skill."

As far as the progress of his book goes, Hager already has collected and transcribed almost all of the primary documents that he will need.

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