Research Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities
Interdisciplinary Research and Informatics Scholarship (IRIS) Center
About
(You can call me Meg!) I’m Research Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities in the IRIS Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a historian of medieval and early modern Ireland. I completed my PhD in medieval history at Saint Louis University in 2020. Prior to joining SIUE, I worked in digitization at the Barack Obama Presidential Library from 2019 to 2021. In addition to publications on medieval and early modern Irish history, I have written and presented on digital humanities infrastructure and pedagogy. I currently co-direct the NEH-funded “Expanding Access to Digital Humanities in St. Louis,” the AHA/NEH-funded “Madison County at the Migratory Crossroads,” and the SSRC-funded “Realizing Inclusive Student Engagement in the Digital Humanities.” I also provide technical and pedagogical support for projects including the NEH-funded Recovery Hub for American Women Writers and Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars, as well as the Mellon-funded Black Literary Network at the University of Kansas.
Current Research Projects
Submission Strategies: This digital project (in development) maps, the spatial and social networks captured in the Irish submissions to Richard II, using these and contemporary materials to create a rich and nuanced depiction of the alliances, hostilities, and spheres of influence that shaped the interconnected social networks of England and Ireland
Won by the Sword: This book project explores the mechanisms by which the structure and character of lordship were developed in Gaelic polities in the later Middle Ages. The book follows the MacCarthy Reagh lords of Carbery in West Cork between 1366 and 1594, to trace the ways in which their interactions, allegiances, and self-expressed identity evolved in relation to dynastic opportunities. Between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, Ireland was wracked by economic crises, frequent rebellions, and shifts in governance that by turns helped and hindered the growth of Gaelic lordships like the MacCarthy Reagh. This case study serves as a lens for understanding the social, cultural, and political forces that shaped Irish society in this transitional and transformative period. It also illuminates mechanisms of hybridity and cultural negotiation, contributing to a range of fields, including borderland studies and identity studies.
Other Projects
Contact
Want to get in touch? I’m happy to chat about all things digital humanities and medieval Ireland.
Email: margars@siue.edu
Twitter: @meg_smith0913