Gregory Samantha Rosenthal[1] (born January 24, 1983) is an American historian, activist, and author. She serves on the faculty, as Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of the Public History Concentration, at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. She is the co-founder of the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project. Rosenthal has written two books, Beyond Hawaiʻi: Native Labor in the Pacific World and Living Queer History: Remembrance and Belonging in a Southern City. She serves on the governing board of the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History and on the editorial board of The Public Historian.
G. Samantha Rosenthal | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 24, 1983 Schenectady, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts Bates College Stony Brook University |
| Occupation(s) | historian, professor, activist |
| Website | gsrosenthal.com |
Early life and education
editRosenthal was born on January 24, 1983, in a suburb of Schenectady, New York.[2] Her father, Kimmo Rosenthal, was a mathematics professor at Union College and her mother, Robin Rosenthal, is an artist.[3][4] She started playing the piano at the age of seven, and continued musical lessons throughout her childhood and teenage years, branching into the french horn and vocal training.[2]
She attended the California Institute of the Arts for a year, to study music composition, before transferring to Bates College, where she also majored in music.[2] While a student at Bates, Rosenthal was a member of a student anarchy group and was active in student protests and anti-government political organizing.[2] She was arrested a few times for protesting the policies of the Bush Administration, the War in Afghanistan, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[2] Rosenthal graduated from Bates in 2005.[2] She earned a doctoral degree from Stony Brook University in 2015, studying environmentalism.[5][6] she was awarded the Rachel Carson Prize for Best Dissertation from the American Society for Environmental History for her dissertation, Hawaiians who Left Hawai’i: Work, Body, and Environment in the Pacific World, 1786-1876.[5]
Career
editIn 2015, Rosenthal co-founded the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project, a queer public history initiative based in Roanoke, Virginia.[7][8]
She is Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of the Public History Concentration at Roanoke College. in Salem, Virginia.[9][10][11] They teach public history, digital humanities, world history, and LGBTQ studies.[12] Rosenthal has written two books, Beyond Hawaiʻi: Native Labor in the Pacific World, published in 2018 by University of California Press, and Living Queer History: Remembrance and Belonging in a Southern City, published by University of North Carolina Press in 2021.[13][14]
Rosenthal received awards and honorable mentions for her written work and her work with the Southern Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project from the Oral History Association, the American Society for Environmental History, the Working Class Studies Association, the National Council on Public History, and the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History.[15] Rosenthal serves on the Governing Board of the Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History and on the Editorial Board of The Public Historian.[7]
Personal life
editRosenthal is a queer transgender woman and uses both feminine and non-binary pronouns.[7] She came out as a transgender woman shortly after moving to Roanoke, Virginia in 2015.[16][17] Prior to transitioning, she had been married to a woman.[8][18]
References
edit- ^ "Off the Shelf: Author Talk with Gregory Samantha Rosenthal". heellife.unc.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ a b c d e f "Oral History Interview with Dr. Gregory Samantha Rosenthal · Virginia Room Digital Collection". www.virginiaroom.org. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Bio". Robin Rosenthal. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Faculty Emeriti & In Memoriam". Union College. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ a b "Alum Gregory Rosenthal '15 Wins National Dissertation Prize - SBU News". 2016-02-10. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ Trombulak, Stephen (2014-03-02). "Gregory Rosenthal, in his own words". The Stream. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ a b c "G. Samantha Rosenthal, Ph.D." G. Samantha Rosenthal, Ph.D. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ a b Affeldt, Jenna (2022-08-08). "An Interview with Dr. G. Samantha Rosenthal". Preservation Virginia. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ Confroy, Wirt (2022-10-03). "Virginia's Queer Past Is Alive Through Storytelling: Samantha Rosenthal". Virginia's Travel Blog. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "G. Samantha Rosenthal". The Conversation. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ Strother, McKinley (2022-10-26). "Deadline nears for public comment on transgender student policy in Virginia". WSLS. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Gregory Samantha Rosenthal's schedule for Hawaii Book and Music Fest 2019". hawaiibookmusicfest2019.sched.com. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Professor's book on Roanoke's queer history resonates locally and nationally". www.roanoke.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Book Reception for Dr. Gregory Rosenthal, "Beyond Hawai'i"". www.roanoke.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "G. Samantha Rosenthal, Roanoke College – Transgender History…". AAC&U. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Book Launch: Living Queer History, with Samantha Rosenthal & guests | Downtown Roanoke". www.downtownroanoke.org. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Roanoke made me queer again | National Council on Public History". 9 May 2018. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Living Queer History". Style Weekly. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-23.