AMS Graduate Student Spotlight—Jonathan Newby

Name: Jonathan Alexander Newby

Pronouns: He/They

Optional—contact information: janewby@utexas.edu, @JonNewbyA (Twitter)

Question (Q): What are your research interests, both academic and for fun, while in American Studies at UT!?

Answer (A): I have many, many different areas of interest! But there are five that I typically cite: digital studies (specifically social media and video gaming), Black and Queer studies, the history and policies of the modern university, urban studies and planning, and the politics and cultures of the Christian Right.

Q: How did you make your way to American Studies as a discipline?

A: When I first entered undergrad at William & Mary, I was set on becoming a sociology and philosophy double major, but we weren’t allowed to declare a major till our second year, and on top of that, I didn’t get into any SOCL or PHIL courses my first semester. I did, however, get into an American Studies seminar as part of my scholar program, which was taught by then-chair Leisa Meyer—Intro to LGBTQIA Studies. After connecting with Dr. Meyer throughout the course and expressing all of my different interests, she thought I would be perfect for American Studies, and she was right! I quickly fell in love, and never looked back. By the way, never did get around to taking a SOCL or PHIL class, but they were still part of my AMST classes in some interdisciplinary way.

Q: What is the nature of your work? What method(s) do you utilize the most? How does your current work align within American Studies?

A: I considered myself pretty big on ethnography and engaging with community knowledge directly, so I learned a fair bit about interviewing and community archives and, as part of my broader academic mission, making marginalized studies front and center in my work. I did an honors thesis on Black Queer history in America, an independent study on the impact of indie video games to the digital humanities and promoting the creativity of people of marginalized identities, and also a digital ethnography on Black Queer Twitter influencers and organizations. I take those lessons with me into UT AMS in emphasizing the work of the communities that I am studying—"nothing about us without us” sticks with me every day as a research motto to live by, for both my own communities and in doing justice to others wherever possible.

Q: Are you currently working on any projects, and if so tell us about them!

A: I am working on a couple conference proposals! I have never presented at an outside conference before, and since I am on fellowship this year, I figured this would be a great opportunity to try my hand at writing proposals and (hopefully) presenting them to my peers across the country. I proposed a paper on the importance of technology and social traditions (specifically alcohol consumption) in a video game, The Red Strings Club, to the Popular Culture Association (shout-out to Dr. Randy Lewis for turning me onto that opportunity!) which got approved! So, I will be presenting "Cybernetics, Humanity, and the Bar in The Red Strings Club" in San Antonio this spring! And I am currently working to propose to the Cultural Studies Association a paper on the possibilities of Afrofuturism and Black engagement with technology in understanding Black history and current Black movements for justice.

Q: How does American Studies at UT make your work possible?

A: UT AMS makes this work possible because, on a personal level, it is engaging and challenging in a productive way. Even though I am just starting out, I still feel that I am being challenged to do more and be more to advance myself as a scholar. It remains an adjustment, but one I am happy to engage with every day, because there is real growth to be had here, and a wide support network to help me in that self-improvement. Many thanks to the AMS professors I’ve had the fortune of meeting or taking courses with thus far, and extra love to my cohort that I’ve gotten to know well and can’t wait to collaborate with more in the semesters to come!

Q: What is your favorite thing about AMS at UT.

A: It has to be the environment! There are a lot of different conceptions of what grad school is like, but from the first time I stepped foot in Burdine, it felt real in the best way possible. I knew this could be a department and a university where I could thrive as a student and a person. Everyone has been so supportive of me through the ups and the downs, and I can say so definitively that this was the right choice for me, because the community that I am now a part of is truly a rock for me even as I am still transitioning and coming into myself, from the older cohorts to the professors I see in passing, if there’s a family to be had in academia, UT AMS is as close as they come.

Bonus Q: What is a fun fact about you that you would like your colleagues, peers, and/or students to know about you?

A: I’m actually really proud of this one, but I have a (very amateurish) photography Instagram (@jonphotonewby)! I made it sort of on a whim at a friend’s suggestion and made a New Year’s Resolution to get 100 photos on there in 2022, which I managed to exceed! You’ll find a copious number of shots of the UT Tower, Downtown Austin, and Burdine Hall on my page, so if that suits your fancy, give it a look!