Meet the HGSA Officers: Kiri Raber, president

Thu, 02/03/22
Kiri Raber

Kiri Raber is a doctoral student in the History department working with Dr. Chuck Upchurch.

Tell us about your major area of research!

Early Modern Europe, with a focus on the British Empire and Jamaica.

I was always fascinated by the monarchy in Europe, though history wasn’t always what I thought I would study. In a history class as an undergrad, however, I learned about Oliver Cromwell and the interregnum, the brief period in the 1650s when the monarchy was abolished, and Charles I was executed. I found this really interesting, even though the Restoration happened shortly after Cromwell’s death.

I studied Cromwell for a while, and in my MA program learned that Cromwell conquered Jamaica. So I started looking at Jamaica and that opened up many questions I wanted to explore about the empire, and families throughout the empire. I’m now more focused on family and legitimacy throughout the empire in the 18th Century, but Jamaica still remains at the heart of a lot of what I do. And it’s all because I thought it was so wild that Cromwell abolished the Monarchy—even though it was only for a little while. 

What minor fields did you chose?

My minor fields include the Atlantic World, Gender, and Public History. As someone studying family in Jamaica, the Atlantic world and Gender fields help to round out my research and broaden the scope of what I’m looking at.

I chose Public History because I’ve always felt that historians must work to reach audiences outside of our own echo chambers. I hope to use what I learn in this field to reach wider audiences and engage the public with my research in an accessible way.

How did your interest in history start more generally? What do you do for “fun” history nowadays?

My interest in history really started with my grandpa. He was always into the big American wars and prided himself on knowing the names of all the generals’ horses in the American Civil War (though, he could have made them all up and how would we know?). History was always more of a side interest of mine. It wasn’t until I started at university that I even realized I could do history as a profession, that I could do something I loved as my career.

For “fun” history, I love reading, watching, and listening to historical fiction. The Other Boleyn Girl is one of my favorite books, and Six: The Musical is amazing. I also love watching Drunk History. All these different medias show how history, at its core, is storytelling. One of my favorite mentors in my MA program even once said that historians are simply storytellers with footnotes.

What do you do as an HGSA officer? What does your job entail?

As the president, I attend faculty meetings to ensure that the voice of the graduate student body is heard and taken into consideration. I relay what was said at those meetings to HGSA general meetings and take any of their questions or concerns to the faculty/ graduate director.

I also help to organize events for the graduate students, like meet-ups or professional development talks. I think it’s important that we remember that we aren’t alone in this, and that there’s a community within the History department that can be leaned on if one needs it.

How do you see HGSA make a difference to grad student life?

I think the biggest difference made is helping students to foster connections. Graduate school can, at times, seem isolating and overwhelming. The HGSA helps to create a space where students can meet one another in a less stressful environment and relate to others who are going through similar situations. I always heard stories in my undergrad about grad school being a place where everyone had to work alone, and I want to make sure that no one ever feels alone in this department.