In Memoriam: Joseph T. Skerrett, Jr. (1943-2015)

One of the greatest achievements of my friend Joe Skerrett’s career was winning the Council of Editors of Learned Journals Distinguished Editor Award. As the judges recognized, his service in his chosen field was heroic, pathbreaking, and immensely influential and valuable. During Joe’s twelve years as editor of MELUS, what was once an obscure journal with limited circulation became the leading periodical in the field of ethnic literary studies. Once produced on a shoestring, it now appears as a major publication of Oxford University Press. It is, in large measure, the wise, prescient leadership of Joe Skerrett that we have to thank for the rich legacy of both the journal and The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States. He took the helm as president of the society for a term and then served as a crucial advisor to his successors, including me. During my term, he helped me navigate the difficult shoals of selecting his successor as journal editor (who luckily turned out to be Veronica Makowsky) and establishing new MELUS chapters in India and Europe.

Both the society and the journal did not happen without struggle. Over forty years ago, a group of scholars became frustrated, then angry, that the monolithic Modern Language Association refused to sponsor panels on African American or ethnic literature at their annual convention. Under the prodding of “Mother MELUS,” Professor Katharine Newman, a group of these disgruntled scholars held an impromptu literary panel on African American literature in the hallway of a conference hotel. From that beginning, MELUS was born, and it was clear from the outset that the organization needed a journal.

A number of editors initiated production, but by the time a young Joe was tapped by a prescient Professor Newman and her executive board to become editor, things had gone sadly downhill, as chaotic conditions on the journal’s then home campus resulted in decreased circulation, huge time lags between article acceptance and publication, and the possibility that the journal would have to cease operation. Joe bravely stepped in, instituted a vigorous solicitation process for essays written by leading scholars in ethnic literature, and secured sound financial backing from his home institution, the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He charted new paths for the journal, alternating standard “Varieties of Ethnic Criticism” editions with focused issues on topics such as Native American literature, Asian American literature, and ethnic women’s literature. In later years, he bravely produced an issue on Arabs, Jews, and American literature, despite the misgivings of some who feared it would offend some readers. He charged scholars of various subsets of ethnic literary study to edit special issues devoted to Irish American literature, Italian American literature, ethnic sexualities, and religion and ethnic literature. There were also several issues on literary criticism and ethnicity. Joe always sought to make the journal keep pace with developments in the larger fields of American and postcolonial literature and theory, but he took care that the literature we all teach—what one might call the “canon” of American ethnic literature—got pride of place. Under his leadership, the journal reached an ever-expanding spectrum of readers and scholars, and, as a result, MELUS has played a crucial and often underappreciated role in establishing the teaching, publication, and study of multicultural literature as we now know it.

Why did Joe have such a spectacular editorial career? One reason is that he was a voracious reader and had an amazing command of American literature, especially its many ethnic varieties. He always encouraged MELUS contributors to think across ethnic boundaries and relished receiving essays that took a cross-ethnic approach. As editor, Joe included short but succinct and useful introductions at the head of each issue, identifying the theme and providing short summaries/appreciations of each article. He also decided early on that MELUS should have cogent book reviews of leading publications in ethnic literature and theory. Further, he took care to solicit interviews with key ethnic artists, such as Maxine Hong Kingston or Ernest Gaines. It still amazes me that when I am...