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Deutsch, James

Senior Content Coordinator, America at 250 Book Project

Occupational folklife; homelessness; veterans of World War II; pandemic folklore; American film and mass media.

Positions

Geographic Focus

Background And Education

Education And Training

Professional Biography

  • James Deutsch is senior content coordinator for the Smithsonian Institution’s America at 250 project, which will mark the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. He was formerly curator and editor at the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, where from 2003 to 2024 he helped plan and develop public programs on California, China, Hungary, Peace Corps, Apollo Theater, Circus Arts, Native Americans, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Mekong River, U.S. Forest Service, World War II, Silk Road, and White House workers. In addition, he serves as an adjunct professor—teaching courses on American film history and folklore—in the American Studies Department at George Washington University. Deutsch has also taught American Studies classes at universities in Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Poland, and Turkey. Overall, he has held more than 60 different jobs, including: newspaper reporter, librarian, park ranger/forest ranger, census enumerator, and monorail operator at Walt Disney World.

Awards And Honors

Research And Grants

Publications

Selected Publications

Editor Of

  • Book

    • Deutsch, James I., editor. 2010. The 2010 Smithsonian Folklife Festival [program book]. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. 2010
    • Deutsch, James I., editor. 2009. The 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival [program book]. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. 2009

Featured In

Contact

Mailing Address

  • Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
    P.O. Box 37012, MRC 520
    Washington, DC 20013-7012

Shipping Address

  • Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
    600 Maryland Avenue SW, Suite 2001
    Washington, DC 20024-2520