McNair Scholar 2020 Jacob A. Smiley
Jacob A. Smiley is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, majoring in history. His research interests mostly revolve around East-Central and South-East Europe during the global cold war. He plans on pursuing graduate education in history.
My dream is to earn a PhD in history, concentrating on the history of Yugoslavia during the global cold war. After receiving my PhD, I plan on serving as an educator and continuing my passion for historical writing and research.
Research project
East-Central European Contributions to Making History While Young and Female
Abstract: In her new project, Making History While Young and Female, historian M.J. Maynes has skillfully analyzed the impact that the rise of capitalism and nationalism had on women and girls in Western Europe during the Age of Revolutions (1789-1848). Utilizing Charles Tilly’s concept of the revolutionary repertoire, Maynes argues for an expansion of the term-- advocating for the inclusion of things like clothing choice, marriage rebellions, and publishing as forms of political protest that make young women’s rebellious actions more visible to historians. My McNair research project has supplemented Maynes’ work by bringing in a transregional perspective. Specifically, this project brings in examples from East-Central Europe, analyzing some of the transregional similarities and regional particularities between East-Central and Western Europe.
Faculty mentor
Dr. M.J. Maynes is currently a professor in History in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Maynes received her B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania and her PhD in history from the University of Michigan. Her research broadly examines European history, often through the lens of social, labor, and women’s history. Dr. Maynes has published in multiple scholarly journals and was the co-editor of Gender and History from 2013-2018. This is Dr. Maynes’ first time serving as a McNair faculty mentor.