Notable new books by 91̽�� faculty members include studies of military cultural education programs and equitable collaboration between schools and families. Also, National Endowment for the Humanities support for a coming book on an 18^th century India poet, and a National Jewish Book Award.

Volume of essays co-edited by Naomi Sokoloff wins 2019 National Jewish Book Award for anthologies, collections

A book co-edited by , 91̽��professor of Hebrew and comparative literature, has won a 2019 National Jewish Book Award for anthologies and collections from the .

“),” edited by Sokoloff with of Washington University, is a volume of scholars, writers and translators discussing the changing status of Hebrew in the United States. The book was published by 91̽�� Press in June 2018.

The book features a diverse group of distinguished contributors discussing the questions, publisher notes state: “Why Hebrew, here and now? What is its value for contemporary Americans? To what extent is that sta­tus affect­ed by evolv­ing Jew­ish iden­ti­ties and shift­ing atti­tudes toward Israel and Zion­ism? Will Hebrew pro­grams sur­vive the cur­rent cri­sis in the human­i­ties on uni­ver­si­ty cam­pus­es? How can the vibran­cy of Hebrew lit­er­a­ture be con­veyed to a��larg­er audience?”

The Jewish Book Council established the in 1950. Winners of the 2019 awards, across 18 categories, will be honored at a ceremony March 17 in New York.

To learn more, contact Sokoloff at naosok@uw.edu.

***��

Heidi Pauwels receives National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship for book on ‘India’s 18^th century Mona Lisa’��

, professor in the Department of Asian Languages & Literature, has been awarded a $45,000 National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to work on her planned book, “The Voice of India’s 18th Century Mona Lisa: Songs by Rasik Bihari of Kishangarh.”

The book will explore the poetry and life of an 18^th-century woman known as , or Rasik Bihari, who was an elegant court performer and favorite of the Indian crown prince Sāvant Singh (1699-1764) of , a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. She turns out to have been a composer in her own right under the pseudonym of Rasik Bihari.

Pauwels, who also coordinates the department’s South Asia Program, recently wrote a book about Singh. “” was published in 2017 by 91̽�� Press.

The fellowship was announced Jan. 14, part of a NEH of $30.9 million in grants supporting 188 humanities projects in 45 states. Read more on the Simpson Center for the Humanities .

To learn more, contact Pauwels at hpauwels@uw.edu.

***

Ann Ishimaru pens book on equitable school-family collaboration

Teachers College Press has published “,” by , associate professor in the 91̽��College of Education. The book examines the challenges and possibilities of creating more equitable forms of collaboration among nondominant families, communities and schools.

“As we’ve been trying to make changes to the long-standing and persistent racial inequities that exist in our schools and really transform education, my argument is that we’ve overlooked a vital source of expertise and leadership — and that resides in the families and communities of students themselves,” Ishimaru said in an .

The book is drawn on Ishimaru’s work as principal investigator of the UW-based and the project over more than a decade. The book describes core concepts for equitable collaboration and provides multiple examples of effective practices.

Listen to a College of Education-produced with Ishimaru. To learn more, contact Ishimaru at aishi@uw.edu.

***

Paula Holmes-Eber co-edits book on building military cultural competence

As recent international conflicts have shown, the military officer of today must be both warrior and diplomat, combatant and humanitarian worker, soldier and peacekeeper. An anthology coedited by , affiliate professor in the Jackson School of International studies, explores how today’s militaries can prepare their leaders for such complex roles.

“,” edited by Holmes and Kjetil Enstad of The Norwegian Defence University College, compares research on the successes and failures of military cultural education and training programs in seven countries: The United States, Canada, Argentina, Norway, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.

“Warriors or Peacekeepers” will be published in March by Springer. To learn more, contact Holmes-Eber at pholmese@uw.edu.

***

Justin Jesty’s ‘Arts and Engagement in Early Postwar Japan’ honored

“,” a 2018 book by , associate professor of Japanese language and literature, has been awarded the by the Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present, known as ASAP for short.

The book, a cultural history of post-World War II Japan, was published in September 2018 by Cornell University Press. The award was announced in late 2019.

To learn more, contact Jesty at jestyj@uw.edu or visit his .

91̽��Notebook is a section of the 91̽��News site dedicated to telling stories of the good work done by faculty and staff at the 91̽��. Read all posts here.

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 UW’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 91̽��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 — , 91̽��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 91̽�� faculty and graduate students playing important roles in this jubilee celebration.”

Recent notable books by 91̽�� faculty members explore the importance of Hebrew to modern America, remember the 1919 Seattle General Strike and look at issues in education, among other topics.

Practical advice for healthy travel, near or far

A new book by offers simple, practical recommendations for those traveling near or far, short or long term, for work or recreation, to “destinations ranging from rural areas to large cities, in both developing and industrialized nations.”

“” was published in December by 91̽�� Press. Sanford is an associate professor of family medicine and global health with the 91̽��School of Medicine.

In the book, Sanford gives common-sense advice on how to prevent communicable diseases and mosquito-borne illnesses, travelers’ diarrhea and other maladies, and how to evaluate post-trip symptoms. He focuses on ailments and injuries that travelers are most likely to encounter, noting that “if something occurs less frequently than one-in-a-million, it probably isn’t going to happen to you.” The work also covers concerns unique to women, men, children, LGBTQ individuals and travelers with chronic illnesses.

As Sanford said in a , “The more you travel, the less you fear, and the folks who are the most afraid are those who have never traveled.”

To learn more, contact Sanford at casanfo@uw.edu.

* * *

UW-edited book explores value of Hebrew to contemporary America

, 91̽��professor of Hebrew and comparative literature, has edited a volume of scholars, writers and translators discussing the changing status of Hebrew in the United States.

“ edited by Sokoloff with of Washington University, was published in late summer by 91̽��Press.

The book, publishers notes state, asks how the status of Hebrew is affected by current Jewish identities and shifting attitudes toward Israel and Zionism. “Will Hebrew programs survive the current crisis in the humanities on university campuses? How can the vibrancy of Hebrew language be conveyed to a larger audience?”

The volume features essays “that give fellow Americans a glimpse into the richness of an exceptional language.” Contributors include , a former staff member with the UW’s ; and the late Alan Mintz, who was a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary and author of “,” published by 91̽��Press in 2011.

“What We Talk About When We Talk About Hebrew” (which borrows part of its title from a famous 1981 by ) “addresses the challenges and joys of being a Hebraist in America in the 21^st century … focusing not just on what Hebrew means — as a global phenomenon and long-lived tradition — but on what it can mean to Americans.”

Sokoloff is the co-editor (with 91̽��history professor ) of “,” published in 2010 by 91̽��Press, and author of “,” published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 1992.

For more information, contact Sokoloff at 206-543-7145 or naosok@uw.edu.

* * *

Principals support teachers in ‘Leading for Professional Learning’

How can principals better support and encourage professional development among teachers? A new book written by faculty members in the 91̽�� provides practical tools and guidance.

“” was published in October by Wiley/Jossey-Bass. The book was written by , and . Markholt is the educational leadership center’s associate director and Michelson is its director of teacher leadership and learning. Fink, a 91̽��affiliate professor of education, is the center’s founder and was executive director from 2001 until 2018. All are affiliated with the 91̽��.

“Leadership is crucial to professional learning, providing the necessary systems and structures that enable teachers to improve their own practice and in turn, improve student learning,” say publisher’s notes for the book. Because each school has different strengths and needs, the book shows school and district leaders ways to create support plans tailored to their own context.

Empowering teachers to improve their craft is more than merely offering opportunity, the book advises — “it requires collaboration with teachers every step of the way, a deep understanding of how best to support professional learning, a clear set of goals for both individual sessions and an overarching mission, and the necessary technical and relational support required to see these opportunities through.”

Listen to an at Principal Center Radio. To learn more, contact Markholt at 206-221-6881 or markholt@uw.edu; or Michelson at 206-715-2833 or jlm32@uw.edu.

* * *

Unexpected uses of technology the focus of ‘Left to Our Own Devices’

A father uses a smart speaker to gently enforce time limits. A couple uses smart lights to work through conflict. People find unexpected ways to adapt technology to fit their lives, as explores in her book, “.”

Morris is an affiliate faculty member in the UW’s as well as a psychologist and app creator. Her book was published in December by MIT Press.

We are warned of the perils of technology, Morris states, “but our devices and data are woven into our lives. We can’t simply reject them.” Instead, she suggests, “we need to adapt technology creatively to our needs and values.”

In the book, Morris examines how such personalized “life hacks … cast technology not just as a temptation that we struggle to resist but as a potential ally as we try to take care of ourselves and others.”

To learn more, contact Morris at margiemm@uw.edu.

* * *

College of Education instructor pens field guide to inquiry-based teaching

, a teaching associate in the 91̽��College of Education, explores through five key strategies in “,”

“One part practical guide, one part interactive journal, this book provides the opportunity to do inquiry as you read about it,” publishers notes state. Readers can see what inquiry-based instruction looks like in practice through five key strategies that can be implemented in any learning environment.

The book offers 50 practical inquiry experiences that can be used with students or with fellow teachers. One online reviewer said Mitchell “has translated the latest terminology — pedagogical jargon — into lively language and useful advice.”

“Experience Inquiry” was published in September by Sage as part of its Corwin Teaching Essentials series. Mitchell is also founder of , a professional learning organization dedicated to promoting inquiry-based teaching strategies.

To learn more, contact Mitchell at 206-434-8274 or klasher@uw.edu

* * *

Other book notes:

• 91̽��history professor wrote a new introduction and afterword — and contributed a photo essay — to the November republication by 91̽��Press of Robert L. Friedheim’s popular 1964 book, “.” 91̽��Tacoma historian Michael Honey praised the republication, saying the account of the 1919 work stoppage “takes us back to when labor solidarity seemed to make all things possible.” .
• “” by Margaret Willson has been published in paperback by 91̽��Press. Willson is a 91̽��affiliate professor of anthropology and a faculty member in the Canadian Studies Center. The book was first published, by 91̽��Press, in April 2016.
• “” by , published as an e-book in 2013, has been updated and brought out in paperback by Island Press. Wolfe is an affiliate associate professor of urban design and planning in the 91̽��College of Built Environments, where he teaches land use law at the graduate level.