Dr. Leah Milne Receives NEH Grant for Humanities Research

Dr. Leah Milne, Associate Professor of Multicultural American Literature at UIndy, recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for her research.

NEH, which is the biggest public funder of the humanities in the United States, reviews 800 applicants on average for its annual summer stipend, and rewards about 100 of them. The award can be up to $8,000 and is designed to support two months of exploration and research of history, philosophy, religion, literature, language, and many other topics. 

Dr. Milne’s research is a look into Asian American literature and how authors have portrayed mothers and mothering over time. She is also researching the effect of publishing houses on the available media, as they once only favored stories of progressive daughters against immigrant mothers. Despite this, mothering is still depicted in many diverse ways, including outside of the traditional family unit. Milne plans to collect data from both novels and poetry as well as legal histories on the subject. 

“Today, the humanities are constantly devalued, referred to as ‘soft skills.’ In reality, we need skills such as creativity, curiosity, media literacy, and empathy now more than ever,” said Dr. Milne. “Few skills are more useful than thinking critically, writing clearly, and learning how to better understand and interact with society, all skills fostered by the humanities.”