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xi acknowledgments It is my great pleasure to thank the many colleagues, friends, family members , and institutions that helped me to research and write this book. I owe a tremendous debt to John Stauffer, who trained me in interdisciplinary scholarship, sparked my interest in protest literature, and guided the project through its early stages. John unfailingly expressed his faith in me as a scholar, and his encouragement sustained me through the most difficult stretches. Werner Sollors challenged me to think expansively about migration narratives—to make connections between internal migrants and various immigrant groups and migration mythologies. Werner not only offered keen insights on the manuscript but has also been a steadfast mentor. When I encounter difficult career decisions, his wise counsel puts the ground under my feet. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham’s support kept me going at crucial moments. I discovered my passion for American Studies as an undergraduate at Georgetown University, and I thank my excellent professors there, especially Hugh Cloke, Elizabeth McKeown, Lucy Maddox, Alison Hilton, and Peter Cole. The History of American Civilization program at Harvard University provided a warm, invigorating intellectual community for a young scholar. Christine McFadden was our compass as we navigated the unfamiliar waters of graduate school. I thank my fellow students for their friendship and feedback, particularly Peter Becker, George Blaustein, Lauren Brandt, Sarah Carter, Marti Frank, Mark Hanna, Brian Hochman, Hua Hsu, Jamie Jones, Judy Kertész, Sonia Lee, and Yael Schacher. Sara Schwebel read several drafts, and her sharp comments pushed me to clarify the argument, tighten the structure, and polish the prose. In sharing her immense gifts as a writer, Sara has made this a better book. Most of all, her friendship sustained me through the process. I am deeply grateful to Noam Maggor, who has pushed my thinking about the relationship between race and populism, and whose friendship I treasure. I was also privileged to be a part of Harvard’s History and Literature program . Being assigned an office with Eoin Cannon was a fantastic stroke of xii acknowledgments good luck, for sharing this space gave us the opportunity to discuss our books, collaborate on teaching, trade parenting adventures, and become friends. I thank also my students, particularly Aviva Gilbert, Ofole Mgbako, Rikka Strong, Miyoko Pettit, and D. Patrick Knoth, who helped me to think about migration narratives in new ways. Finally, it is difficult to find the words to express my gratitude to Jeanne Follansbee. Jeanne read almost every chapter of this book, generously sharing her knowledge of 1930s radical literature and her insights into the relationship between historical forces and literary forms. I have turned to her for advice on writing, on teaching, and on my career, and I am deeply grateful for her mentorship. My work has also greatly benefited from several writing groups and from scholars in my field. I thank Ally Field, Laura Murphy, Jeanne Follansbee, Amy Spellacy, Anne Verplanck, Jen Hirt, and Robin Veder for their careful , critical readings. My colleagues in Werner Sollors’s Doktorandenkolloquium gave formative comments on early drafts of several chapters, as did Susan Shillinglaw, Michael Meyer, and Michael Kazin. Douglas Wixson, Julia Mickenberg, Lawrence Rodgers, and Joanne Dearcopp generously shared what they knew about Sanora Babb. Thanks to the Haverford and Bryn Mawr College Faculty Working Group in American Studies for their feedback on Chapter 5. My colleagues in Humanities and American Studies at Penn State Harrisburg provided vital support as this project neared completion. School director Kathryn Robinson approved research support and protected my time as a junior faculty member. Patricia Johnson and Matthew Wilson shared my interest in women writers and African American literature. With Simon Bronner at the helm, the American Studies program kept me afloat; thanks to Michael Barton, Anthony Buccitelli, John Haddad, Anne Verplanck, David Witwer, and especially Charles Kupfer, who gave me helpful feedback on Chapter 5. I benefited also from many discussions of race and migration with my American Studies graduate students. My research assistants, Peter Bryan and John Price, did some careful digging and helped me get the manuscript into shape. Many thanks to librarian Heidi Abbey for her invaluable assistance, to Shivaani Selvaraj for her enthusiasm about the history of interracial organizing, and to Penn State’s Commission for Women for the opportunities to share my work. This book would not be possible without funding from several organizations . The Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research provided a generous fellowship, beautiful office space, and a stimulating...

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