The American Historical Association will convene the world’s largest annual gathering of historians in New Orleans January 6–9, 2022, to explore all things historical — many with direct relevance to contemporary public policy and culture. The past year has highlighted the American public’s deep interest in history and how it can inform public conversations. Journalists and other media professionals will find ample source material among the hundreds of hundreds of sessions, in the exhibit hall, or even overheard in the hallways. We welcome your attendance and participation in the world’s largest annual gathering of professional historians.

Policies and Registration

Credentialed working journalists will be provided complimentary press registration to cover the American Historical Association’s annual meeting. To register for the AHA Annual Meeting as a member of the press, complete the registration form here.

Members of the press interested in attending the annual meeting should read our annual meeting press policy, which covers important information regarding press credentials, our policy for filming or recording sessions, permissions to record sessions, and sound and electric during the meeting. Please also read our health and safety information page, which details our precautions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sessions of Interest

To find additional sessions related to your areas of reporting, please peruse the annual meeting program or download our Meeting App. You can also contact communications and marketing manager Jeremy C. Young (jyoung@historians.org) to discuss content of interest, or to make arrangements to interview AHA officers or meeting participants.

Presidential Address: Historians and Their Publics, Then and Now
Jacqueline Jones, Univ. of Texas at AustinFriday, January 7, 2022: 5:30 PM-6:30 PM
Grand Ballroom C (Sheraton New Orleans, 5th Floor)
History culture wars are not new; however, these wars have assumed a new intensity today. The democratization of the historical enterprise has broadened the reach of professional and nonprofessional historians alike; it has also inspired a backlash among those who see an expansive, accurate, and inclusive account of the nation’s past as somehow dangerous and unpatriotic. 

Plenary: New Orleans Street Renaming
Thursday, January 6, 2022: 8:00 PM-9:00 PM
Mardi Gras Ballroom E (New Orleans Marriott, 3rd Floor)
This roundtable will focus on the process for street renaming in New Orleans. Prominent local historians and urban planners have spearheaded this work, working closely with the community; they will engage in a conversation about New Orleans street history and memory.

Plenary: American Routes
Friday, January 7, 2022: 8:30 PM-9:30 PM
Grand Ballroom C (Sheraton New Orleans, 5th Floor)
Nick Spitzer, Tulane University professor of anthropology, producer and host of the public radio program American Routes, will speak interpretively about New Orleans, French Louisiana, and Gulf South music in historic and cultural terms.

Plenary: Divisive Concepts, Honest History
Saturday, January 8, 2022: 8:30 PM-9:30 PM
Grand Ballroom C (Sheraton New Orleans, 5th Floor)
A conversation about “divisive concepts” legislation being passed in Texas and other states, with a focus on larger issues. What is going on? Why should all of us be concerned about it? What is particularly relevant to the work of historians? Why are they targeting history educators?

Modes of Historical Story-Telling: Gathering Stories to Preserve and Create Histories of People and Places in and around New Orleans
Saturday, January 8, 2022: 1:30 PM-3:00 PM
Grand Ballroom C (Sheraton New Orleans, 5th Floor)With New Orleans as the example, the historians on this panel will explore the various ways in which public, academic, museum and archival-based historians, as well as historical actors, tell, preserve and remember history and experiences through storytelling.

About the AHA

Founded in 1884 and incorporated by Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies, the American Historical Association provides leadership for the discipline and promotes the critical role of historical thinking in public life. The Association defends academic freedom, develops professional standards, supports innovative scholarship and teaching, and helps to sustain and enhance the work of historians. As the largest membership association of professional historians in the world(over 11,500 members), the AHA serves historians in a wide variety of professions and represents every historical era and geographical area.