Editor’s note: This is the ninth entry in a series on how historians—especially contingent historians and those employed outside of tenure-track academia—do the work of history. If you know of someone we should interview, or would like to be interviewed yourself, send an email with the subject line HOW I DO HISTORY to pitches@contingentmag.org.
Naomi Rendina (@NaomiRendina on Twitter) is an adjunct instructor and historian of medicine, women, and modern America. Here’s how she does history.
What’s your current position? How long have you worked there and is this your first connection with the organization?
I currently hold two adjunct positions. I’ve been at Notre Dame College (South Euclid, Ohio) for five years, and teach the American History survey course online for them. This semester, I started teaching Health Humanities (online) for California State University, East Bay. I earned my BA from CSU Chico, so I’m really excited to be back in the CSU system.
Tell our readers what a typical day/week of work is like for you. For starters, is there such a thing as a typical day for you?
There’s no such thing as a typical week for me. Sometimes I have two classes at a time, sometimes I have none. Until recently, I balanced my PhD program, parenting, and teaching. Each week depends on what my daughter is up to and what I need to get done. I’ve always worked at night. I wrote my entire dissertation between the hours of 10 PM and 3 AM. For the last few months, I’ve tried to enjoy not having to work on my dissertation. I’m struggling to get back into some sort of routine.
People, inside and outside universities, hear the terms “adjunct instructor” or “adjuncts” a lot but still might not know exactly what those words mean. You’ve been an adjunct instructor for some time, please tell us what an adjunct is and the types of work they do.
Adjuncts teach—and we teach a LOT. But, we also do research, write for the public, and participate in the academic community. We’re overworked and underpaid. Many adjuncts work at multiple institutions to make ends meet, and travel quite a bit between schools.1
However, I think it’s important to note that what adjuncts do varies between institutions. I’ve been at institutions that (try to) value research done by contingent labor. I’ve been at other institutions that simply want adjuncts to facilitate courses that full-time faculty create. Adjuncts do the same work as tenure track professors, we’re just ridiculously underpaid.
Naomi’s setup while researching at Columbia University
Have you always been interested in history? If so, what’s your earliest memory about a historical topic or event?
I enjoy stories and learning how we connect with those who came before us. One of my earliest memories related to a historical topic is a 4th grade overnight trip to Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento, California. We had to dress up in period clothing and spent nearly three days living in Sutter’s Fort. However, to be honest, I can’t say that I’ve always been interested in history.
“Sutter’s Fort is a State Historical Park in California’s capital city of Sacramento.” Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress.
Where did you complete your BA? Was history your main area of study in college? Did you complete an MA and PhD?
I earned my BA from California State University, Chico with a Major in Middle Eastern Studies and a Minor in Religious Studies. I then completed my MA online from the American Military University, and received my PhD from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cushing Reading Room in the Allen Memorial Library at CWRU.
What were your research interests in graduate school? Was it always the history of medicine?
I entered my PhD program with the intent on writing a dissertation about technology in the neonatal intensive care unit. During the historical methods course I took my first year, I wrote a paper on the Lamaze method.2 I initially had planned on writing my dissertation about the ways women were sold the idea of “natural” childbirth. I didn’t shift too far from that, but I knew I needed to write about natural childbirth.
What, so far, has been your largest research project?
My dissertation has been my largest project so far. My dissertation looks at the role of pharmaceuticals in creating the idea of “natural” childbirth. Specifically, I look at labor-induction and augmentation drugs and how their use changes the meaning of “natural” childbirth. Long story short, I found that women in the 1940s and 1950s were using drugs in childbirth, but still calling it “natural.” Using drugs in childbirth is not usually what we think of when we hear the term “natural childbirth,” and it fascinated me that women were still using drugs and this term together. Ultimately, I concluded that not only were physicians looking at induction drugs differently than pain medication, but that women called their births “natural” if they experienced labor pains for any duration.
You recently completed your PhD. How would you describe finishing and defending your dissertation during a pandemic?
I had looked forward to defending for seven years. I defended over Zoom, and it was a surprisingly wonderful experience. I had a great committee that spent two hours talking with me about my project, where they hoped it would go, and how to make it into an amazing book. Even though it was a great experience, defending over Zoom was extremely anticlimactic. There was no closure. There was no celebration, and no graduation. It hasn’t truly felt like it’s over. There was no closure—even picking up my diploma didn’t feel like closure.3
Weill Cornell Medical Center Archives in New York City. Upper East Side, NYC (shot from Roosevelt Island)
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What do you think is the toughest part of undertaking a research project?
Getting the initial words on paper is absolutely the hardest part. Revisions can be a lot of fun, but the “shitty first draft” is by far the hardest part.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received about conducting research?
Listen to the archives. Don’t go in looking for something to support your thoughts—go in with an open mind and listen to what the documents have to tell you.
What courses are you teaching this fall? Are they in-person or online?
I’ve taught online for a really long time, so this term isn’t very different for me. What’s new, though, is the synchronous video meetings. I’m still adjusting, but I love them. I currently have one US survey, and one section of Health Humanities.
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about what historians do and how they work?
A long time ago, one of my siblings told me that all historians do is parrot what other people said. Actually, Sheldon Cooper, in an episode of The Big Bang Theory, said something very similar. I think this sort of comment really undermines the work of historians and suggests that we do not do the heavy lifting of creating new knowledge, and making existing knowledge accessible. We don’t just parrot what other people say (isn’t that plagiarism anyways?).
You’re a historian of medicine, particularly childbirth. For those interested in the field and wanting to learn more, what are some must-read books? Who are some historians that have inspired you and your work?
I think that those who are interested in the history of childbirth should also be reading the books about miscarriage and pregnancy. There are so many books about childbirth, I really can’t choose, but consider the following works:
- Lara Freidenfelds, The Myth of the Perfect Pregnancy: A History of Miscarriage in America (Oxford University Press, 2020)
- Judith Walzer Leavitt, Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America, 1750–1950 (Oxford University Press, 2016)
- Shannon Withycombe, Lost: Miscarriage in Nineteenth-Century America (Rutgers University Press, 2018)
- Jacqueline H. Wolf, Deliver Me from Pain: Anesthesia and Birth in America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012)
- Jacqueline H. Wolf, Cesarean Section: An American History of Risk, Technology, and Consequence (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018)
When you are working on a new piece of writing, whom do you reach out to for feedback?
This is a really hard transition post-defense. I had a super supportive advisor and committee, and I haven’t quite transitioned away from them. I’m not even really sure who to shift to now.
How would you describe your writing process?
I’m not very good at the first stage of writing, but I love the revision phase and getting feedback. But my process? Light a candle, make some tea, and settle in. The later in the night, the better.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on one article, a grant application, and of course slowly working on my book proposal. The article is about labor induction drugs and controlling the uterus. This is currently going through some intense revisions, and I hope to be done with it soon. The grant application is for funding to be able to see an archival collection that (hopefully) will be fabulous and change the shape of my book project.
What Naomi’s workspace typically looks like.
If money, time, and distance were not issues, what’s a dream project you’d love to tackle? Or what’s a class you have always wanted to teach, but just haven’t had the opportunity to?
My dissertation/book project is my dream project—I absolutely LOVE this project! I’m currently looking for funding to see a collection up at Wayne State University. As for a dream course, I’d love to teach a reproductive technology course someday.
If you weren’t a scholar, what kind of work do you think you’d be doing?
I’d be an undistracted stay-at-home mom. This is actually a question I currently grapple with on a daily basis. The job market doesn’t exist, and I am trying to figure out what to do with the PhD. There are lots of options, I’m just not sure what is the best fit for me. I’m excited to see what gets thrown my way. Whatever it is, I think I’m ready.
- For more about adjunct instructors and the work they do, see Mary Klann’s essay, “Contingency is Not Complacency.”
- Historical methods courses are required courses for first-year history graduate students that often introduce, or reinforce different historical research methodologies, and prepare students for the professional aspects of being a historian (going to conferences, academic writing and publishing, joining different historical societies, etc.).
- For another perspective on defending during the pandemic, see Sarah Stoller’s contribution to our “History Now” series.