Tiana Milacic is interested in Shakespeare, British Romanticism, Elizabethan rhetoric, and Early Modern book history & print culture. Her fellowship research project is titled The Forgotten Function of Female Printers in the Restoration Literary Underground and seeks to recover the labour of women printers, stationers, and vendors in the Restoration literary underground through an original sensory-materialist approach that reveals their presence in the spaces, objects, and material networks they shaped. Tiana is one of our 2024-25 Undergraduate Fellows.
What are your main research interests and what excites you most about them?
My main research interests lie at the intersection of gender studies and early modern book history, particularly in the roles women played in the creation and dissemination of texts. What excites me most is uncovering new stories in the archive—the ladies I study were feisty and persistent, and it’s been a pleasure to trace how their work unfolded across different facets of the book trade. Also, the trade itself was incredibly interconnected! It often seems like everyone knew everyone in some capacity, so it's always thrilling to uncover those communal ties. They make the mechanical, physical labor feel less abstract and more grounded in real, human experience.
What project are you working on at the JHI and why did you choose it?
I’m working on a project that recovers the labour of women printers, stationers, and vendors in the Restoration literary underground. Specifically, I’m approaching their contributions through a unique sensory-materialist lens that draws out their presence from the spaces they inhabited, the objects they handled, and the vibrant network of material relations they moved within. I chose to pursue this project at the JHI because this is the kind of research I’m committed to doing long-term. Unfortunately, young women academics are often rerouted toward more canonical areas of study, so I wanted to take this opportunity to be bold, to follow my passions fully, and to build a strong foundation that will allow me to keep doing this work and bring more women into the light.
How has your JHI Fellowship experience been?
My JHI Fellowship experience so far has been absolutely wonderful. It’s easily been the highlight of my entire undergraduate degree—which is saying a lot, because I’ve been fortunate enough to have so many amazing experiences at U of T. The weekly lunches have been incredibly intellectually stimulating, and it’s truly been a gift to hear such a wide range of diverse ideas on a regular basis. All the other Fellows have brought such kindness and intellectual generosity to our conversations; it's been an honour to think alongside them this year.
Why do you believe the humanities are important?
I think it goes without saying that in today’s world, the ability to think critically for yourself is more important than ever. Studying the humanities has given me a strong foundation for understanding my own perspective, the perspectives of others, and the information I engage with. In an age of widespread misinformation and media suppression—among other challenges I need not name—the value of these skills cannot be overstated. The humanities ultimately allow us to step outside of ourselves while still holding true to our own values, which is essential for understanding the world around us and our place within it. Just as importantly, engaging with the humanities cultivates empathy, and that too is an essential quality with immense value.
Can you share something you read/watched/listened to recently that you enjoyed/were inspired by?
Something I watched recently and really enjoyed was the Netflix documentary Our Oceans. I think I’ve rewatched it at least seven times now. After a long day of research, work, and everything else, all I want to do is sit on my couch and watch fish swim across the screen. It’s incredibly calming.
What is a fun fact about you?
I really love taking obscenely long, marathon-length walks around the city with no destination in mind. It’s one of my favourite activities, and I recently decided to channel that long-distance energy into training for a half marathon—which I’ll be running five days into my master’s at Oxford. It’s… not going very well so far.