Internship Opportunity Through Columbia University's Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Spring 2012

Guantánamo Public Memory Project
Research Internship Spring 2012

About the Guantánamo Public Memory Project
“Guantánamo” has become an international symbol of torture, detention, national security, and conflict over America’s “War on Terror.” After more than a decade of bitter struggle over whether and how to “close Guantánamo,” in 2011, nearly 200 prisoners remain at the US naval station, or GTMO. The unique qualities of the site – its legal ambiguity, political isolation and geographic proximity, and architectures of confinement – have been used and reused for a wide range of people and purposes. These include Cuban workers in exile after the Revolution; Haitian refugees with HIV, first welcomed as asylum seekers but then confined in tent cities as threats to public health; and the War on Terror’s “enemy combatants.” GTMO and its residents have been inextricable, if often invisible, parts of America’s deepest policy conflicts: immigration, public health, human rights, and national security.

The Guantánamo Public Memory Project seeks to build public awareness of the century-long history of the US naval station at Guantánamo, Bay, Cuba, and foster dialogue on the future of this place and the policies it shapes. The Project will collect stories, documents, photos, videos artwork, and oral testimonies from different perspectives and time periods throughout GTMO’s 100 year history. It will bring that material to the public through a website, traveling exhibit, curriculum, public programs, and other media. The Project will also invite diverse people to share their own stories of GTMO and engage in debate about the larger issues this site and others like it across the world raise. It originated as a project of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, which currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Project. The Project is now being developed by a growing collaboration of universities and organizations, coordinated from Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights as part of its Alliance for Historical Dialogue and Accountability.

About the Position
Researchers will identify and compile primary and secondary source material on GTMO’s history in a variety of media to serve as the foundation for an exhibit opening December 2012 and a curriculum to be used starting September 2012. The exhibit and curriculum have been divided into themes/subject areas. For each, researchers will:

• Compile a packet of material, including secondary sources that provide background on the subject, articles, websites, images, video footage, oral histories and candidates for interviews.
• Research, price, and secure permissions for images and any other material that requires it.

In addition, researchers will:

• Conduct research for rapid response to events in the media (anniversaries; histories of particular camps; historical perspective on new decisions) as necessary.
• Report regularly to other members of the Project team (other historical researchers, oral historians, bibliography developers), coordinating searches and sharing material as necessary.

Qualifications

• Ability to commit at least 10 hours/week for at least one full semester
• Graduate student in history, public history, museum studies, education, American Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, or related field
• Background and research experience in one or more subject areas related to GTMO’s history, such as 19th/early 20th century American imperialism, Caribbean studies, refugee policy, military history, Cold War
• Knowledge of Spanish or Haitian Creole a plus
• Excellent organization skills and ability to work independently and creatively

How to Apply
Please send resume and cover letter to guantanamo@columbia.edu

The deadline for applications is December 16, 2011.