SPEECHES AND PAPERS JOSEPH DUFFEY NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES FEBRUARY 1980 -- NOVEMBER 1981 V O L . I V Opening Statement Before the Sub- February 6, 1980 pp. 676-680 committee on Postsecondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor of the U.S. House of Representatives prepared Statement Before the Sub— February 1980 pp. 681-733 committee on Postsecondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor of the U.S. House of Representatives Statement for the Record Submitted March 6, 1980 pp. 734-743 to the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies "NEH: After Fifteen Years" March 21, 1980 pp. 744-757 American Council of Learned Societies 1980 Annual Meeting The Lessor Lecture Spring 1980 pp. 758-772 University of Southern California "Public Life—Public Policy" "On Social History" Article in Spring 1980 p. 773 History News Remarks Prepared for Meeting of Spring 1980 pp. 774-781 National Council on the Aging "The Spoken Word" "What Price Civilization" Article April 1980 p. 782-784 in Quest Summary of Requested Appropriations April 1980 pp. 785-798 for Fiscal Year 1981 Opening Remarks Before the Ninth April 11, 1980 pp. 799-809 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities Statement Before the Subcommittee April 17, 1980 pp. 810-819 on Interior Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives Letter to the Thirty-Eighth Annual May 29, 1980 pp. 820-821 Meeting of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America Introduction for Viewer's Guide: June 1980 pp. 822-824 "Hard Choices" Statement Issued on Barnaby Keeney's June 19, 1980 pp. 825-827 Death Remarks of Coronation Cope of King June 24, 1980 pp. 828-835 Sigismund Augustus to Professor Szablowski — City Hall, New York Remarks Prepared for Special New July 4, 1980 pp. 836-840 Citizens' Naturalization Museum of History and Technology A Gentle Moralist: Article in the September 1980 pp. 841-842 American Arts "Writing, Cultural Literacy, and September 1980 pp. 843-848 the Humanities" National Town Meeting September 11, 1980 pp. 849-854 Kennedy Center Comments in Honor of Richard Coe September 16, 1980 pp. 855-858 John F . Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. "Who Remembers Wallace Stevens?" September 23, 1980 pp. 859-872 The 1980 Getlin Lecture. Trinity College Hartford, Connecticut "Having Been is the Surest Kind September 28, 1980 pp. 873-877 of Being" The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Remarks Prepared for Luncheon September 29, 1980 pp. 878-879 Announcing Publication of the Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethic Groups Washington, D.C. "Higher Education in New England: October 1, 1980 pp. 880-887 The Next Decade" Fairlee, Vermont "Robert Hutchins and 'The Great October 8, 1980 pp. 888-898 Conversation': Some Skepticisms and Some Hopes" Santa Barbara, California "Nostalgia, History and Preservation" October 14, 1979 pp. 899-908 Oakland University Oakland, Michigan Remarks Prepared for Presentation October 15, 1980 pp. 909-919 at the 21st Session of the General Conference of UNESCO Belgrade Remarks — Belgium Embassy October 25, 1980 pp. 920-926 "Mark Twain and the American October 29, 1980 pp. 927-929 Experience" Moline, Illinois Remarks Prepared for Ground Breaking November 2, 1980 pp. 930-933 Ceremonies for New Library The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York Remarks Prepared for Fiftieth November 5, 1980 pp. 934-958 Anniversary Convocation of Brooklyn College Brooklyn, New York Federation of State Programs November 19-20, pp. 959-982 Meeting, Indianapolis, 1980 Indiana On Becoming An American December 1980 pp. 983-1018 Heritage Foundation Report December 3, 1980 pp. 1019-1069 and Response WANG (Case History No. 061) No Date pp. 1070-1072a Washington, D.C. "What Are the Humanities—And of February 7, 1981 pp. 1073-1078 What Value Are They?" Chicago, Illinois Letter to David Stockman February 17, 1981 pp. 1079-1082 Regarding Budget Reduction 'Books and Libraries - What is the March 3, 1981 pp. 1083-1088 the Public Interest?" Chicago, Illinois "Egypt Today" Opening March 16, 1981 pp. 1089-1091 Washington, D.C. Remarks Prepared for 1981 Annual April 7, 1981 pp. 1092-1098 Meeting of the American Council of Learned Societies Washington, D.C. "Do We Still Believe We Can Shape April 20, 1981 pp. 1099-1108 Society" American Association of Community and Junior Colleges Washington, D.C. 1981 Jefferson Lecture April 1981 pp. 1109-1111 Boston, Massachusetts Austin College May 17, 1981 pp. 1112-1119 Sherman, Texas Spoleto Festival May 22, 1981 pp. 1120-1121 Charleston, South Carolina A Thoreauvian Test of Hutchins' June 1981 pp. 1122-1128 Faith in the Great Conversation Article in The Center Magazine Remarks Prepared for Meeting of White June 15, 1981 pp. 1129-1135 House Task Force on Arts and Humanities "West Virginia at a Time of Greatness" September 11, 1981 pp. 1136-1141 Conference by the W. Va. Foundation on the Humanities Charleston, West Virginia Remarks Prepared for Meeting of October 5, 1981 pp. 1142-1161 Graduate Schools, Association of American Universities Palm Springs, California "The Literary Circumstances of the November 5, 1981 pp. 1162-1182 Humanities" 1981 Lecture Series, Academy for the Humanities and Sciences City University of New York Graduate Center 773. Joseph Duffey On Social History the concerns of contemporary citizens. assistance of the computer, we can new The new social history employs construct lists of panelists and sophisticated methods of inquiry, like reviewers who provide both specialized computer-assisted analyses of advice and a more general intellectual demographic patterns or tape-recorded and social review of particular projects. interviews with older Americans. It takes account of new theories and methods of the social sciences about ordinary life practices. But, fundamentally, the new HN: Many small museums and historical social history investigates things of societies traditionally have concentrated on artifacts and other materials that show great moment to our vision of the human how people in communities lived and condition — about family life and com­ worked in earlier times. Does NEH’s em­ munity, about work and technology, phasis on social history mean new oppor­ J a booklet entitled The National Endow- about the natural and the built environ­ tunities for their work? ~ent tor the Humanities and American ment, and about our sense of selfhood. DUFFEY: Indeed it does. Historical Z -ia l History, the Endowment recently So, it’s a way of thinking that draws upon agencies have developed remarkable a n n o u n ce d social history as a special all the disciplines of the humanities. S T o f emphasis. HISTORY NEWS skills in the past two decades in pro­ «Ked NEH Chairman Joseph Duffey ducing interpretive exhibits. For the jeout the federal agency’s interest in most part, these have used collections HN: How much money is NEH allotting, to illustrate themes in the history of th6 topic and the nature of its commit- across the board in all divisions and pro­ decorative arts or of technology — of Tient to support projects related to it. grams, for "500131 history? the collective biographies, in other DUFFEY: We have not set upper or words, of objects themselves. It is not a HN: How is the Endowment defining lower limits for our aid in this area. great leap, but it is an exciting and im­ social history for its grant-making pur- Depending upon your definition of the portant one, to consider how artifacts POMS? field, we have been awarding around $5 reveal patterns and changes in the col­ million a year to research, fellowship, lective biographies of the people whose DUFFEY: Put simply, social history education, and public programs dealing lives took shape around them. Recently, Dnngs to the forefront questions about with American social history. State for example, a superb exhibit on the everyday life of ordinary people that •re humanities committees have been shoe workers of Lynn, Massachusetts, usually been overshadowed by the nave equally interested. By virtue of the atten­ was installed with NEH support at the more familiar events of political and tion to social history generated by our Essex Institute in Salem. It encom­ military history. Social history, like a new special NEH publication, we hope that passes the interwoven narratives of of hearing aids, hears different the number of highly evaluated applica­ Lynn’s ethnic communities, political voices from our past — the voices of re­ tions and awards in this area will in­ and religious traditions, economic and nt immigrants and deeply rooted farm crease substantially in the next few physical development, decay, and ulies. of mothers at home and years. revival. Lynn's citizens participated in dren in school, of the work place and oral history projects that help shape the i town hall, and then it tries to trace exhibit's interpretation, and the exhibit is i historical changes in these patterns HN: How will NEH panelists and reviewers part of an ambitious program of lec­ of ordinary life. Through this study, we be affected by this emphasis on social tures, films, and discussions of local and are discovering how rich, diverse, and history? Will the composition of the regional history. NEH welcomes applica­ :omolicated is the story of American panels be changed? Will they be given tions to produce equally far-reaching ef­ llfe. especially on the local level. special instructions related to social forts in every corner of the United history? States. DUFFEY: NEH panelists are being sent But interpretive exhibits are only one Why is NEH emphasizing social the booklet on American social history. example of the range of history projects 1 *t this time? We expect that when highly qualified we can support.