Philip Napoli
Associate Professor
History
Location: 1105 Boylan Hall
Phone: 718.951.5303
Fax: 718.951.4504
Email:
Philip Napoli's Web site
Philip Napoli teaches 20th-century U.S. and public history, including courses on the history of the American war in Vietnam, American popular culture, oral history, and the history of immigration.
In fall 2020 he will become the chair of the History Department.
Education:
Ph.D., Columbia University - 1998 (History)
M.Phil., Columbia University - 1990 (U.S. History)
M.A., Columbia University - 1988 (European History)
B.A. (honors), McGill University - 1982 (History)
Areas of Expertise:
Napoli writes about the history of American war veterans and the Vietnam war. His book Bringing It All Back Home: An Oral History of New York City's Vietnam Veterans (Hill and Wang) was published in June 2013. He is presently working with a senior representative of the veterans community on his oral history and conducting interviews with veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan for his next book. For more information, visit his website: http://www.philipnapoli.com.
Books and Publications
The Radicalism of Oral History: Teaching and Reflecting on War, Empire, and Capitalism," with Matthew Gherman, Elizabeth Jefimova, Joshua M. Spanton, Cheyenne Stone. Radical Teacher. In Press. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2020
Philip F Napoli Thomas Brinson Neil Kenny Joan Furey, "Oral History, Moral Injury, and Vietnam Veterans," The Oral History Review, Volume 46, Issue 1, Winter/Spring 2019, Pages 71-103. (Books and Publications: Article (Peer-reviewed)) 2019
Bringing It All Back Home: An Oral History of New York City's Vietnam Veterans. Hill and Wang. (Books and Publications: Book (Authored)) 2013
Creative Work
Co-curator, "In Our Own Words: Portraits of Brooklyn's Vietnam Veterans," exhibition at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Exhibition received the Lower Hudson Conference of Historical Agencies and Museums 2008 "Award Towards Excellence." 2007
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
Patriotism Award. United Military Veterans of Kings County. December. (Awards and Honors) 2014
Honored for "Outstanding (Public) Student Service" by the Veteran Students' Organization, Brooklyn College. (Awards and Honors) 2013
Selected "Outstanding Faculty Member" by the Brooklyn College graduating seniors of 2009. (Awards and Honors) 2009
Selected as "Outstanding Faculty" by the Veteran Students' Organization, Brooklyn College. (Awards and Honors) 2008
City University of New York "Certificate of Recognition," in honor of outstanding scholarly achievements and contributions to the creation and transmittal of knowledge. (Awards and Honors) 2004
Mrs. Giles Whiting Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching. (Awards and Honors) 2004
Research Activities
"John Rowan and Veterans Activism." Co-written with John Rowan, president of Vietnam Veterans of America. Combines traditional biography and oral history. 2018
"What Happened to Manhattan's Little Italy?" Using photography and archival materials, this work strives to understand the transformation of lower Manhattan's "Little Italy" since 9/11/2001. 2018
"Neuropsychiatric Care of World War I Veterans." While the post-war history of "shell shock" is well covered in the historical literature of other nations, the story of the care provided to U.S. WWI veterans is not. Research is ongoing. 2014
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
"Long-Term Legacies of the American War in Vietnam, " St. Francis College, February 28. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2020
African American Military Service in Vietnam," John Jay College, February 27 (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2020
Roundtable participant: Oral History in the Open: Confronting the Risks of Giving Personal Stories to the Public, Oral History Association Annual Conference, October 14 (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2016
"New York City's Veterans." Daughters of the American Revolution. Jan. 13. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2015
"Lecture on New York City's Vietnam Veterans." Springfield Public Library. Springfield, N.J., April 10. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2014
"Bringing It All Back Home: An Oral History of New York City's Vietnam Veterans." Soldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club. New York, June 13. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2013
"New York City's Vietnam Veterans." Brooklyn Historical Society. Brooklyn, N.Y., June 22. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2013
"New York City's Vietnam Veterans." LILAC Preservation Project. Hudson River Park. Oct. 15. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2013
"Oral History Interviewing." Professor Sam Freedman's class, "Reporting & Writing 1." Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. New York, July 10. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2013
"Vietnam Veterans." Professor. Emily Horowitz's class ,"Left, Right and Center: Perspectives on Society and Culture in 1960s." St. Francis College. Brooklyn, N.Y., April 30.
(Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2013
Interviewee, "Collecting Oral Histories From NYC's Vietnam Veterans," MetroFocus. WNET TV. Nov. 14. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2013
Interviewee, New York Times Close Up, NY1, June 15. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2013
Moderator, "Vietnam Veterans Panel," New York Veteran History Series, New York Public Library. New York, Nov. 5. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2013
"Interviews With Vietnam Veterans." Psychiatric Grand Rounds, Brooklyn VA Mental Health Facility. Brooklyn, N.Y., April 25. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2010
"The Power of Listening and Being Heard" panel. Brooklyn Historical Society. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2008
"Minorities Serving Their Country: New York City's Minority Vietnam Veterans." Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region Conference. Reginald F. Lewis Museum for Maryland African American History and Culture. Baltimore, March 23-24. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2006
Professional Leadership
Chair, Brooklyn College Department of History 2020-Present (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2022
Chair, Vice President's Task Force on Veterans Affairs (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2020
Undergraduate Deputy Chair, Department of History (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2020
Chair, History Department Curriculum Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2020
Member, CUNY Integrated Institutional Review Board #2 (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2020
Chair, Vice President's Task Force on Veterans Affairs (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2019
Undergraduate Deputy Chair, Department of History (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2019
Acting Director, Macaulay Honors College, Brooklyn College (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2019
Chair, History Department Curriculum Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2019
Member, CUNY Integrated Institutional Review Board #2 (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2019
Acting Director, Macaulay Honors College, Brooklyn College (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2018
Chair, Vice President's Task Force on Veterans Affairs (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2018
Member, CUNY Integrated Institutional Review Board #2
(Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2018
Member, History Department Appointments Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2018
Member, History Department Curriculum Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2018
Undergraduate Deputy Chair, Department of History (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2018
Member, History Department Curriculum Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2017
Chair, CUNY Institutional Review Board Convened Committee #1 (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2017
Chair, Vice President's Task Force on Veterans Affairs (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2017
Member, History Department Apointments Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2017
Steering Committee Member, Brooklyn College Listening Project. The Brooklyn College Listening Project is an on-going community interview and oral history initiative being run by faculty and students at the College. Inaugurated in January 2015, the Brooklyn College Listening Project aims to listen to and record a wide range of stories and life experiences. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2017
Member, CUNY Integrated Institutional Review Board. Since 2016 Chair, CUNY IRB #1 (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2016
Other Professional Activities
Scholar-Advisor to the New-York Historical Society exhibition the Vietnam War. Opens October 2017. 2017
Guest, "A Brief History of Veterans Coming Home to New York City," Veterans Coming Home WLIW. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERlP-EZJrC4) 2016
"Veterans Oral History Project." an oral history collection of the life histories of more than 200 of New York City's Vietnam veterans. Over 500 hours of interviews recorded, transcribed and archived, 2003-present. 2014
Interviewee, Study With the Best," CUNY TV, April 27. 2014
Manuscript reviewer, Brooklyn Connections Project, Social Movements Curriculum, Brooklyn Public Library, April 8. 2014
The Morgenthau Project. Interviews with the men and women who served under Robert Morgenthau when he headed the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, 1961-69. Ten interviews completed, more than 40 hours of audio collected, 2004-06. 2006
