The Violence of American Sugar: Research Assistants (Japanese language skills preferred)
Bernadette Pérez, Professor
History
Open. Apprentices needed for the spring semester. Enter your application online beginning January 17th. The deadline to apply is Monday, January 27th, 4 p.m..
Colorado was one of the largest producers of sugar during the twentieth century, and it relied on Asian, Latino, Eastern European, and Native American migrant workers. The Violence of American Sugar is a book-length study of the Colorado beet sugar industry that examines the environmental dimensions of civil rights, sovereignty, and labor movements in the beet fields. I am in the final stages of preparing the book for initial submission to the press.
Role: I hope to recruit 3-4 research assistants to help finalize the draft manuscript during Spring 2025. At least one must have Japanese language skills. The work will include: reviewing digitized Japanese language newspapers from the 1920s to the 1940s for articles on the industry and summarizing them in English; contacting museums and libraries to secure image permissions for the book; locating maps for potential use in the book; and other miscellaneous research tasks necessary to finalize the draft.
Qualifications: I hope to recruit at least one student who has fluent Japanese language skills. No specific qualifications for the other students on the team, though previous research assistant experience, English-Japanese translation experience, and multiple history classes (in any topic) will help.
Hours: to be negotiated
Off-Campus Research Site: Most of the research can be done remotely or at the Bancroft Library. Team meetings will be held in Dwinelle Hall.
Arts & Humanities Social Sciences