Duke Divinity’s Psalms Project Halted by NEH Funding Cuts
Duke Divinity School’s ambitious project to create the first eclectic scholarly edition of the Psalms has been abruptly canceled. Professors Brent Strawn and Drew Longacre had secured a $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 2023, along with a matching $150,000 from Duke. Their work aimed to reconstruct the earliest recoverable version of the Psalms based on centuries of manuscript discoveries. However, the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the NEH included their grant, leaving the project unfinished and casting uncertainty over future biblical scholarship.
Sweeping NEH Reductions Affect Religious Scholarship
The Psalms project was one of nearly 1,500 NEH-supported initiatives terminated this month. In a move labeled a “purge” by critics, the administration eliminated 65% of NEH staff and shifted funding priorities. Other axed grants included projects on Judaism, Shaker history, and early American religious communities. While President Trump championed efforts to “bring back religion,” critics argue that eliminating these projects stifles understanding of religious history and diversity. Strawn and Longacre were informed of the cancellation by email without prior notice.
Scholars Warn of Long-Term Setbacks
Supporters of the canceled projects, including scholars such as Eric Harvey and Caroline T. Schroeder, voiced concerns about the damage to academic diversity, accessibility, and innovation. Strawn and Longacre stressed that their Psalms edition would have advanced Bible scholarship by decades. Longacre also noted that over 200 students were being trained through the project, an effort now curtailed. Critics view the administration’s justification for returning to “merit-based” grants as dismissive and detrimental to serious religious research.
NEH’s New Focus Remains Vague
While canceling these academic projects, the NEH recently called for artists to create statues for the National Garden of American Heroes, leaving scholars puzzled about the agency’s new direction. The administration’s vision for the humanities appears to be more focused on patriotic projects than on academic inquiry. Detractors warn that this ideological redirection could leave critical areas of religious, historical, and linguistic study significantly underdeveloped for years to come.
Broader Academic Community Reacts
Organizations like the American Association of Colleges and Universities condemned the cuts, calling NEH an essential supporter of accessible humanities education. They argue that dismantling the NEH undermines a crucial pillar of American intellectual life. Meanwhile, researchers like Longacre face immediate personal impacts, including job losses, as projects dissolve midstream.
Trump cuts to humanities grants undermine a stated priority: Restoring religion
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