About the Symposia

In 2025, the American Historical Association will co-host a series of three symposia on the possibilities and challenges of large-scale historical research. For decades, historians and digital humanists have been at the forefront of collaborative, computational, and digital research, but the scale, volume, and complexity of historical records have expanded far beyond the organizational capacity of individual scholars.

Historians are increasingly engaged with questions of data sovereignty, access, and preservation. Despite the significance of these historical records, federal and private foundation funding for historical research has remained largely static and is often tailored for individual researchers. As federal agencies support multi-institutional centers (“engines”) to drive research in the natural and social sciences, historians are considering similar modes of organizing historical research. These symposia will explore the possibilities and challenges of large-scale historical research.

Upcoming Events

Santa Clara University. Photo courtesy Digital Commons at Loyola Marymount University
July 30–August 1, 2025

Annual Meeting of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

More information about this symposium will be available soon.

Photo by Will Kirk/Johns Hopkins University
October 16–17, 2025

Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center
Washington, DC

More information about this symposium will be available soon.