AHA Online

Throughout the year, the AHA hosts many online events for both members and the public. These events bring together scholars to discuss history and current events, hash out issues of professional development at every career stage, exchange teaching resources and strategies, and develop networks of historians doing similar kinds of work. Many of the sessions are recorded and made available as resources for members.

AHA staff continues to gather information about what historians would like to see available online. We welcome all suggestions by email to ahaonline@historians.org, but cannot guarantee implementation: many good, creative ideas are just not possible given limitations of cost, staffing, and technology. What we can do is to welcome and consider opportunities to increase access to conversation, collaboration, communication, and community.

Follow the links below for recordings of events in AHA Online's featured series and other AHA resources available online. Check the AHA's YouTube channel for new videos and resources, and keep an eye on the AHA's calendar for upcoming events.

Upcoming Events

Washington History Seminar: “Victorious in Defeat: The Life and Times of Chiang Kai-Shek, China, 1887-1975”
Monday, March 27 at 4 pm ET

Join us Monday, March 27 at 4 pm ET for a WHS session with Alexander Pantsov (Capital Univ.) and Kelly Hammond (Univ. of Arkansas) for a discussion on Dr. Pantsov’s new book Victorious in Defeat. The negative portrayal of Chiang Kai-shek became a conventional theme in Western historiography. With this work, Dr. Pantsov endeavored to write a balanced and unbiased biography of Chiang, the cunning ruler and the great revolutionary, based not only on Taiwanese, Chinese, and American collections but also on previously unknown Soviet archives. This session is cosponsored by the AHA, the Wilson Center, and the Chiu Foundation and a recording of the event will be posted to the Washington History Center’s YouTube channel. Registration is required.

Affiliated Societies Roundtable: Associations & Conferences in a Post-Pandemic World
Friday, March 31 at 2 p.m. ET

Sponsored by the AHA Committee on Affiliated Societies, this roundtable on Friday, March 31 at 2 pm ET brings together four experienced conference organizers to discuss the future of academic conferences in in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats. Debbie Ann Doyle (American Historical Association), Sara Georgini (Society for U.S. Intellectual History), Louis M. Kyriakoudes (Oral History Association), and Charles T. Strauss (American Catholic Historical Association) will share lessons learned, suggest best practices, and consider larger issues that impact annual meetings. Registration is required.

Washington History Seminar: “Cold War Liberation: The Soviet Union and the Collapse of the Portuguese Empire in Africa, 1961-1975”
Monday, April 3 at 4 pm ET

Join us Monday, April 3 at 4 pm ET for a WHS session with Natalia Telepneva (Univ. of Strathclyde, Glasgow), Sergey Radchenko (Johns Hopkins Univ.), and Daniela Richterova (King’s Coll., London) for a discussion on Dr. Telepneva’s new book Cold War Liberation. Her book traces the story of Soviet support for African revolutionaries who led armed struggles in three Portuguese colonies—Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau. While conventional wisdom says that Moscow had lost interest in Africa by mid-1960s, Telepneva argues that the Soviets redirected their attention to forging close links with the military and security services of their African clients. Telepneva also details how Soviet middle-ranking bureaucrats often shaped policy in Africa, including during the early stages of the Angolan Civil War, 1974-1975. This session is cosponsored by the AHA and the Wilson Center and a recording of the event will be posted to the Washington History Center’s YouTube channel. Registration is required.

History Behind the Headlines: Presidential Records Act
Tuesday, April 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Join the Society of American Archivists and the AHA on Tuesday, April 4 at 3:30 pm ET for an online roundtable about the current controversies surrounding presidential records, moderated by Peniel E. Joseph (Univ. of Texas at Austin) . Why is the FBI raiding residences of former presidents and vice presidents? Does any of this matter to anyone other than archivists and historians? This event will explore the implications of these controversies, including how they might affect the preservation and accessibility of presidential records for future generations. Panelists include Nicole Hemmer (Vanderbilt Univ.), Timothy Naftali (New York Univ.), and Trudy Huskamp (former acting archivist of the United States). This roundtable is free and open to all. Register now! Can't make it? Don't worry—register anyway and receive the link to the recording, which will be posted to the AHA's YouTube channel after the event

Op-Ed Writing for Historians: How to Pitch, Write, Revise, and Get Your Ideas to the Public
Friday, April 7 at 1 p.m. ET

Join us Friday, April 7 at 1 p.m. ET for this online panel about crafting compelling op-eds. Attendees will hear from seasoned writers and editors Bryan Banks, Jelani Cobb, Maura Elizabeth Cunningham, Francine Hirsch, Brian Rosenwald, and Laura Ansley, who will moderate this important conversation. This event is free to attend and open to all. Registration is required.

Take Your Teaching Skills Anywhere: Communicating Teaching Experiences to Employers Beyond Academia
Wednesday, April 12 at 2 pm ET

Join the AHA, the Graduate Career Consortium, and ImaginePhD on Wednesday, April 12 at 2 pm ET for a interactive virtual workshop to uncover skills you have developed through graduate school teaching experiences, practice translating those skills to match job ad requirements, and identify ways you can use teaching as a communication strategy during the hiring process. The workshop, facilitated by Melissa Bostrom (Duke Univ.), PhD, will draw on resources from free online career exploration tool ImaginePhD. Register for the workshop here. Registration is required, and will be capped to ensure the workshop is productive for all attendees.

Past Recordings

Check out our AHA Online playlist on YouTube to watch recordings of past events.

 

History Behind the Headlines

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History Behind the Headlines is a webinar series featuring prominent historians discussing the history behind current events. Webinars in this series are generously sponsored by AHA member Jared Brubaker.

History Behind the Headlines

Washington History Seminar

The Washington History Seminar (WHS) series is held weekly on Mondays (unless otherwise noted) during the Fall and Spring academic semesters. The series is co-sponsored by the American Historical Association and the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. 

Washington History Seminar

Online Programs for Department Chairs

Image of a person typing on a computer keyboard

Since 2020, AHA has hosted a regular series of online webinars to support the work of history department chairs.  The webinars are small group discussions facilitated by experienced department chairs on topics related to the faculty-facing, student-facing, and administrative-facing work of chairs.  Department chairs are encouraged to attend as many webinars as are of interest.  

Summer 2020 Department Chairs' Webinars

Teaching and Learning Video Resources

Cinematographer’s room, with film feels and other electronic equipment. Photo by Noom Peerapong via Unsplash

Teaching is an essential skill for any historian, and the AHA works hard to produce resources for those teaching at all career stages and at all levels of history. Our Teaching and Learning video resources include workshops on K-12 and undergraduate teaching, reflections from historians on globalizing their US survey courses, and sessions on issues of vital importance to history education such as learning outcomes, dual enrollment, and the transition from high school to college.

Teaching and Learning Video Resources

Perspectives on History Special Issue Roundtables

Perspectives on History logo

Special issues of Perspectives on History are launched with an online roundtable, where contributors get together to discuss the issues’ themes.

Perspectives on History Events

History Gateways Events & Activities

The AHA hosts events for K–16 educators, especially through its “History Gateways” programming. Get feedback on an assignment through one of our Virtual Assignment Charrettes, learn how other instructors are revamping their own history surveys, and review how historians adopted online teaching strategies during the pandemic.

History Gateways Events & Activities

#AHAReads

Join other AHA members in setting reading goals and sharing reading progress with these “reading challenges,” designed to help carve out dedicated space for reading in busy schedules.

#AHAReads

Professional Life

The AHA regularly holds professional development webinars and workshops emphasizing career exploration and skill development for graduate students and early-career historians.

Professional Life