Announcing a New Series from
Rutgers University Press
Ceres: Rutgers Studies in History
New Jersey holds a unique place in the American story. One of the thirteen colonies in British North America and the original states of the United States, New Jersey plays a central, yet underappreciated, place in America’s economic, political, and social development. New Jersey’s axial position as the nation’s financial, intellectual, and political corridor has become something of a signature, evident in quips about the Turnpike and punchlines that end with its many exits. Yet, New Jersey is more than a crossroad or an interstitial “elsewhere.” Far from being ancillary to the nation, New Jersey is an axis around which America’s story has turned, and within its borders gather a rich collection of ideas, innovations, people, and politics. The region’s historical development makes it a microcosm of the challenges and possibilities of the nation, and it also reflects the complexities of the modern, cosmopolitan world. Yet, far too little of the literature recognizes New Jersey’s significance to the national story, and despite promising scholarship done at the local level, New Jersey history often remains hidden in plain sight.
Ceres: Rutgers Studies in History will be the primary place to publish new, rigorously peer-reviewed scholarship on New Jersey and the surrounding region. Named for the Roman goddess of prosperity portrayed on the New Jersey State Seal, Ceres provides a platform for cultivating and disseminating the next generation of scholarship. It will feature the work of both established historians and a new generation of scholars across disciplines. Ceres aims to be field-shaping, providing a home for the newest and best empirical, archival, and theoretical work on the region’s past. We are also dedicated to fostering diverse and inclusive scholarship and hope to feature works addressing issues of social justice and activism.
We seek books that represent the best scholarship to examine the following specific topics (among others):
- Scholarly accounts of regional places that are central to national stories
- Slavery, Society, and Culture in New Jersey
- Immigration and Community Studies
- Infrastructure and Local Politics
- Civil Rights Movement and Grassroots Activism
- New Jersey’s Role in Industrialism and the Economy
- Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
- Biographies on New Jersey Authors/Artists
- New Jersey in Popular Culture/Media
- Policing, Carceral Culture, and Community
- New Jersey and the World
- War, Politics, and New Jersey
- New Jersey’s Place in the Nation’s Founding
About the Series Editors
The editors are historians Lucia McMahon, William Paterson University and Christopher T. Fisher, The College of New Jersey. Authors interested in contributing to this book series should send an extended abstract of no more than two pages to Peter Mickulas at mickulas@press.rutgers.edu for consideration. Questions can also be directed to the editors at mcmahonlu@wpunj.edu and fisherc@tcnj.edu.