Assistant Professor Joe Edward Hatfield Wins Major Research Awards

Joe Edward Hatfield.

Joe Edward Hatfield, assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Arkansas, recently received the 2024 Golden Anniversary Monograph Award from the National Communication Association for the article, “Moments of Shame in the Figural History of Trans Suicide,” published in Cultural Studies in 2023.

The Golden Anniversary Monograph Award recognizes the most outstanding scholarly monograph published during the previous calendar year in any of the areas of the communication arts and sciences. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the National Communication Association to new journal articles.

Hatfield’s article offers, to his knowledge, the first written history of trans suicide in the U.S. The article focuses on how trans people have publicly communicated about the presence of suicide within their communities over a period spanning the majority of the 20th century and continuing well into the present. Hatfield finds that, although it has become a more widely publicized crisis in recent years, trans suicide is not a new problem, and its perpetuation corresponds to longstanding anti-trans policies and ideologies. To better understand how to ameliorate the harms that make suicide seem like a viable alternative to living a diminished life, Hatfield concludes that we should look no further than trans communities, who have represented this issue in a range of media environments for more than one hundred years.

The panel of scholars who selected Hatfield as the recipient of the award write: “Dr. Joe Hatfield adeptly centers an analysis on a marginalized group, taking great care to address the concerns of groups further marginalized because of race, class, and other intersectional categories within this population. Combining historical analysis, cultural studies, and queer theory, this article sheds light on the systemic issues of transphobia, shame, and necropolitics that contribute to the alarmingly high rates of suicide within transgender communities. This article will significantly advance dialogue and scholarship around issues of power, gender, and oppression.”

Hatfield’s award will be presented on Nov. 23 at the 110th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association in New Orleans. There, he will also accept the 2024 Outstanding Essay Award presented by the Visual Communication Division of the NCA for his article “Stonewall Forever: Queer Monumentality in the Age of Augmented Reality,” published in Critical Studies in Media Communication earlier this year.

Get more information about NCA’s awards program and the 2024 winners.

This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.