This is the first post in a series of interviews conducted by the Woodruff Library with the 2016-2017 Woodruff Library and Emory Center for Digital Scholarship (ECDS) Fellows. Funded by the Laney Graduate School School, the Woodruff Library and Emory Center for Digital Scholarship (ECDS) awards fellowships to advanced graduate students expecting to complete their dissertations by the end of the fellowship period. Fellows are placed within the Woodruff Library and ECDS to work in an area related to their subject specialization or interest, culminating in a formal presentation in the Spring.
Chris Brown, Woodruff/ Writing Center Fellow, 2016-2017
An Interview with Chris Brown
Woodruff: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your favorite book? What’s your favorite thing about Emory/Atlanta? Etc.
Chris: I am a PhD Candidate in Latin American History from the United Kingdom. I came to Emory in 2011 on a Fulbright postgraduate fellowship and I have enjoyed cycling and playing soccer in Atlanta ever since. My favorite book is Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong, a tale of love, life, and the legacies of the First World War in Europe.
Woodruff: What are you researching for your dissertation?
Chris: My research uses soccer as a lens for exploring the history of Manaus, a city at the geographic and symbolic heart of the Brazilian Amazon. I ask how urban playing fields and spectator venues, contests on and off the field, and surrounding social commentary helped shape and reflect public policies and cultural dynamics in the city. My narrative begins with the establishment of the soccer league of Amazonas in 1914, a long century before Manaus served as a high-profile host city of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 IOC Olympic Games.
Woodruff: What interested you about the Woodruff Library Fellowship?
Chris: I am interested in learning more about the changing practices and resources available for students in major research libraries. The Woodruff Library Fellowship in Outreach and Education will allow me to reach out to diverse groups across campus to help ensure that everyone at Emory makes the most of the fabulous resources and working spaces we have at our disposal. Both professionally and personally, I will miss our library when I leave Emory!
Woodruff: What will you be working on this year for your Woodruff Library Fellowship?
Chris: This year I will continue to facilitate joint projects between the Woodruff Library and the Emory Writing Center, with a focus on tailoring outreach initiatives to students from across the disciplines and students from international backgrounds. We will host multiple dissertation writing boot camps for graduate students and experiment with other outreach events throughout the year.