The Currency of History
This issue, focused as it is on both public history and digital history, prompts much reflection on how historical work and historical ideas circulate. In “Research-Led Digitization” by Ellen Feingold and Leigh Gardner, the question of circulation is both literal and metaphorical. These cowrie shells, held in the National Numismatic Collection at the National Museum of American History, are just one example of the West African currency they have digitized. The authors describe the processes by which they digitized this collection and intentionally built relationships with educators to ensure the use of these digital records.
Photo courtesy of National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Staff
Declassification Slowdown
The State Department’s Office of the Historian’s (OH’s) Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series, which presents the official…
Expanding the Genre
There aren’t many “old boys’ clubs” left in the historical discipline. Women work as professional historians studying all time periods,…
Advocacy Briefs
In a time when academia is under increasing scrutiny, the AHA continues to advocate for historians and the crucial work…
Townhouse Notes
I’ve been thinking about squares and rectangles. In geometry class, I learned that all squares are rectangles but not all…
Partners in Scholarship
Writing can be agonizing, but it can also be deeply rewarding. Historians get immense satisfaction when an idea finally crystallizes…
Overview and Updates
The American Historical Association announces Virtual AHA, a series of online opportunities to bring together communities of historians, build professional…
The AHA Virtual Exhibit Hall
If you’re like me, the Exhibit Hall is one of your favorite parts of the AHA annual meeting. Always a…
Abstract of the 2020 Presidential Address
All historians realize how much COVID-19 has interfered with our scholarship and teaching. Everything has slowed down, from preparing for…
Bernard Bailyn (1922–2020)
Bernard Bailyn, historian of early America and the Atlantic world, died of congestive heart failure at age 97 on August…
Moses Rischin (1925–2020)
Photo courtesy The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio Moses Rischin, professor emeritus at San…
Jenny Tone-Pah-Hote (1980–2020)
Photo courtesy Department of American Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Jenny Tone-Pah-Hote was a beautiful, remarkable individual,…
On “History, Front and Center”
To the Editor: James Grossman’s thoughtfully restrained comments regarding Trump administration rhetoric and interventions against public dissent (not to mention…
Reverb Effect
One of the most exciting developments in the historical profession has been a move toward more diverse platforms for presentation…
AHA Member Spotlight: Cristina Soriano
Cristina Soriano is an associate professor at Villanova University. She lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and has been a member since…
AHA Member Spotlight: Allison Blakely
Allison Blakely is a professor emeritus of European and comparative history at Boston University. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland,…