Mattie Burkert

I can't recommend highly enough Karen Hao's new book Empire of AI, which concludes with specific heuristics and calls to action for those who want to see these technologies used to support social good.

I don't yet know what the court's order means for my team or the future of the project, but I am so grateful that my testimony helped to illustrate the value of publicly funded humanities scholarship as a shared good.

"Each of these scholars had the potential to contribute something great to his or her respective field and to our shared knowledge of America and the world...The balance of equities and public interest tilt in favor of granting plaintiffs a preliminary injunction – to preserve the possibility that we may yet get the opportunity to see what these scholars have to teach us." - Judge Colleen McMahon, Southern District of NY

In ordering a preliminary injunction on DOGE's #NEH grant terminations, the Hon. Judge McMahon specifically cited my declaration and London Stage Database as evidence that #humanities research serves the public interest. See page 72 of the decision:
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

New on the blog: check out this this interactive timeline created by Research Assistant Emma Kaisner, which traces the history of backstage drama from Shakespeare to The Studio: blogs.uoregon.edu/londonstage/...
#dh #digitalhumanities #c18 #18thc #academicsky #humanities #theaterhistory

The Show Must Go On: A groundbreaking digital humanities project brings theater history to the public, despite federal funding cuts

Delighted to share this feature story from @uocas.bsky.social about the London Stage Database project -- what our team has accomplished, how we are moving forward now that our #NEH grant has been cut, and why we believe this work remains important: cas.uoregon.edu/news/the-show-must-go

Is federal funding still a viable research assessment indicator in the age of Trump? - Impact of Social Sciences Federal funding has long played an important role in research assessment in the United States. The HuMetricsHSS Initiative argues this must now be reassessed in light of the Trump administration’s int...

What do we do when a key indicator of research assessment -- federal funding -- is undermined and under threat? The @humetricshss.bsky.social team tackles the question in a recent @lseimpactblog.bsky.social essay.

blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...

#ThanksBrett for your central role in building up the most exciting and generous academic field of the last 25 years! The office of digital humanities was been a tremendously positive force. @brettbobley.bsky.social

Digital humanities, as a field, wouldn't exist without your creativity, stewardship, perseverance, and patience, @brettbobley.bsky.social thank you for staying with the trouble & for making my work and the work of so many others possible. #thanksbrett

Staff

Woke up this morning unemployed from our federal government positions.

Might we make a small request? Please spend a few minutes today browsing the names & bios of #NEH staff, most of whom are now without jobs, before the agency erases us from its memory. #humanities

www.neh.gov/about/staff

spreadsheet showing links between London Stage Database and Text Creation Partnership play titles, authors, and publication dates

The London Stage Database team may be defunded, but we're determined to release as much as we can of the data we've been curating this year. Something exciting is coming soon...
#digitalhumanities #dh #c18 #18thc #academicsky #theaterhistory #neh #humanities

Such a treat this weekend to celebrate three new books by my three brilliant colleagues, Faith Barter (@faithbee.bsky.social), Stacy Alaimo and Ashley Cordes! #humanities #summerreading

As an MLA member and a past ACLS fellow, I'm heartened that my professional organizations are taking legal action to defend the #humanities. The termination of #neh funding for my project, @londonstagedb.bsky.social, is discussed on p.25 of the complaint: nhalliance.org/nha-statemen...

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that #NEH grant funding for "Extending the London Stage Database" was terminated abruptly earlier this month. You can help us advocate for the importance of this project and the #humanities more broadly. Read more:

Fellow #neh grantees, I am looking for models and examples of termination appeals. Please help!
#humanities #digitalhumanities #highered

Where did U.S. humanities grants go? To projects from a baseball film to AI research From AI research to historical preservation, programs funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities reach every corner of the U.S. Now the government has terminated those grants.

Appreciated the opportunity to speak with @npr.org about the devastating cuts to the incredible @neh-odh.bsky.social. Why is our govt canceling grants to start an AI Center that supports our national priorities? Cutting the arts and culture programs that are fundamental to a flourishing democracy?

Say Goodbye to Small-Town Libraries and Museums, Thanks to Trump’s Latest Cuts The NEH budget is tiny. The loss is huge.

My Slate piece on the widespread NEH grant cancellations is live. So much gratitude to everyone who took the time to talk with me these past few days while fighting fires on every side.

#humanities #highered #neh

slate.com/news-and-pol...

ACH has updated our Impact Database with info about canceled NEH grants as of 4/8/25. We understand around 40 grants remain active, with a small number reinstated. The $ amounts reflect awarded funds. The total amount is a fraction (~.000037%)of the 2024 US budget. Learn more: impact.ach.org

Want to see the scope of what the NEH grant terminations is? The ACH ( @ach.bsky.social ) has compiled a database: impact.ach.org

Three additional UO international students face deportation - Daily Emerald At least three additional international University of Oregon students have had their student visas revoked by the Department of Homeland Security, according to University of Oregon spokesperson Eric H...

This is an atrocity. I stand in solidarity with my international colleagues, students, and neighbors @uoregon.bsky.social.

Opinion | Why DOGE Slashed the National Endowment for the Humanities Eliminating federal funding for the humanities saves next to no money, but it will cost the American people something precious.

"Eliminating federal funding for the humanities saves next to no money, but it will cost the American people something precious: one of the few federal institutions whose whole purpose is to foster community and thoughtful discussion across the polarities that increasingly divide and depress us."

What we know so far: over 1,200 grants have been canceled and/or terminated without prior staff knowledge. 70-75% of the staff remain on admin leave for an "undetermined" length of time. There has been ZERO outreach from the chairman's office to the staff. This happened in less than a week.

Awards for Faculty at Tribal Colleges and Universities Supports individual faculty or staff members at Tribal Colleges and Universities pursuing research of value to humanities scholars, students, or general audiences.

Trump's NEH has, it seems, just cancelled a bunch of fellowship programs with deadlines in the next couple of weeks. A brief thread:
1/ Awards for Faculty at Tribal Colleges and Universities has been cancelled for FY 2026 www.neh.gov/grants/resea...

New set of NEH grant program cancellations:
DHAG
Fellowships Open Book Program
Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities
Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research
Institutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities

I was a high school frosh on 9/11, a college senior (in journalism! in Lower Manhattan!) in 2008, was at UW-Madison in 2010-11, started my first academic job in 2016, had my first baby in 2019, started my second job in 2020, lost my NEH grant last week. I'm just...tired.

My NEH grant for the London Stage Database (londonstagedatabase.uoregon.edu) was canceled last week; if you would like more details, please let me know. (DMs are not open, maybe because we aren't mutual follows?)

Humanities Open Book Program

If you follow me you may not be
1. in the US
2. an academic

But I want to mention something the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funds with its tiny slice of the budget — which was just gutted.

Funding to make scholarly books Open Access — free for the public to read, anywhere.

I for one care way too much about waste, fraud, and abuse to correspond about the terms of a taxpayer-funded contract with any rando who can set up an onmicrosoft.com account. NEH grant terms are pretty clear that all official communication goes through eGMS Reach...

Me: Mommy had the worst workday of her career today so it's going to be a dada bedtime.

Kinder, blissfully unconcerned: night night!

PSA: U.S. government agencies use email addresses ending in .gov, not something suss like nameofagency-emails@onmicrosoft.com.

The London Stage Database website has just gotten a major refresh! Check out the new and reorganized content pages at londonstagedatabase.uoregon.edu, and read all about the changes on our new blog: blogs.uoregon.edu/londonstage/...