History and the Digital Image
Cover photography and design by Chris Hale. The archival photo of the U.S. Capitol is courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
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Featured Articles
Participants Selected for the American History, Atlantic and Pacific Project
The American Historical Association is pleased to announce the names of 24 faculty members (from 12 two-year institutions across the…
Georgia Limits Access to Archives, The AHA Responds
In response to news that the state of Georgia intends to effectively close its archives in a cost-cutting move, AHA…
The Network of Concerned Historians Reports on History and Human Rights
The Annual Report of the Network of Concerned Historians, released over the summer, continues a series of disturbing reports that…
Clio’s Charm Holding Fast? History Major Numbers Continue to Rise at Most Institutions
Despite the increases, over the past three years, department chairs from an array of institutions have written to ask whether…
What’s in the October AHR?
The October 2012 issue of the American Historical Review should be in members’ mailboxes and available online soon. It contains…
History and the Digital Image: Introduction
Digital images have a way of piling up. Ease of acquisition—a click of the mouse or the release of a…
How Scanners Democratize History
Upstairs at the Rialto Poolroom Bar and Café in downtown Portland, Oregon hip young adults are eating, drinking, and occasionally…
Scanning Historical Images: Some Practical Advice
Look at the Original Scanning can be extremely useful in helping to save wear and tear on primary documents, original…
Viewshare: Digital Interfaces as Scholarly Activity
The Google-style search box has, through its ubiquity and ease of use, become our default interface to digital content, and…
On an Infrastructure for Historical Spatial Analysis
References to a "spatial" turn—a linking of geography and history, temporal change and spatial variation—have been increasing across the historical…
DIY Image Management with Zotero
Any historian who has been to an archive in the digital era remembers each day as a race to capture…
Lightroom as a Research Tool: From Organization to Interpretation
As an undergraduate in the early 1980s, I could organize my research with just handwritten notes and a good memory.…
DevonThink, Digital Research, and the Paperless Dream
In an age of information overload and technological advance, our research methods are rapidly changing. So too, therefore, are expectations.…
How Long Will People Read History Books?
When I ponder the future of history in this digital age, few things worry me more than the fate of…
Veterans and Remembrance: Before It’s Too Late
World War II and American history are not areas in which I have any claim to specialization, but at their…
Attending the 127th Annual Meeting in New Orleans: Some Useful Reminders
Advance Meeting Registration Attendees can preregister online (the easiest and preferred method) via a link on the AHA's web site.…
Information for Persons with Disabilities
General Information The meeting hotels are all located in the French Quarter, with its narrow stone and brick streets. Streets…
Welcome to New Orleans!
The 127th Annual Meeting marks the third time the American Historical Association will meet in New Orleans. Previously, the Association…
Resilience and the City: Katrina and Consequences in New Orleans
Hurricane Katrina has reshaped New Orleans. The 2005 storm’s impacts accelerated a slow-moving population loss and recalibrated the city’s racial…
A City Built on Baubles: A Brief History of Tourism in New Orleans
New Orleans, the host city for the 127th AHA annual meeting, is a rich gumbo of distinctive history, architecture, music,…
Tours Sponsored by the Local Arrangements Committee
The Local Arrangements Committee of the 127th annual meeting has organized 14 tours highlighting the historical resources of New Orleans.…
World War II at the New Orleans Meeting
Session 222. Sacrifice for Freedom: The Normandy Institute–Telling the Stories of America's D-Day Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines Sunday, January 6,…
NCH Asks Federal Court to Review Detrimental FOIA Decision
The National Coalition for History (NCH) has joined the American Historical Association and eleven other history and archival organizations, in…
Historians and Climate Change
Editor's Note: The editor very much regrets that due to his oversight, the October 2012 Perspectives on History carried an uncorrected draft…
The 40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade: A Teachable Moment
Nearly 40 years ago, on January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that turned out to…
Making History at a History Conference: Bringing Research Mentoring to the AHA Annual Meeting
From a graduate student's perspective, the big annual meeting of any research field can be a daunting experience. In a…
Countering Subversion: Black Panther Scholarship, Popular History, and the Richard Aoki Controversy
Editor’s Note: The essay below heralds the launch of “Perspectives on Books,” a new Perspectives on Historycolumn devoted to the…
From Decolonization to Getting It Right: The Center’s Sessions in New Orleans
The National History Center will sponsor 10 sessions at the AHA's annual meeting in New Orleans, on topics ranging from…
Thomas J. Pressly (1919–2012)
Historian of the American Civil War, Outstanding Teacher Tom Pressly, an emeritus professor of history in the University of Washington,…
A Fresh Look at Careers of and for History PhDs
Are there career options for history PhDs beyond the academy? In today’s Chronicle of Higher Education L. Maren Wood (a…
Session of the Week: The Power of Cartography: Remapping the Black Death in the Age of Genomics and GIS
In an effort to highlight the diverse range of scholarship at the upcoming annual meeting, we’re highlighting different sessions…
Job Center: Reservations Open
Reservations are now being accepted for Job Center rooms and tables at the 2013 annual meeting. Rooms will be…
Update: AHA Offices Now Open
The AHA offices in DC have reopened after Hurricane Sandy, but our thoughts are with our East Coast friends who…
Update: AHA Offices Closed
Due to hazardous conditions in the Washington area caused by Hurricane Sandy, the AHA’s offices will be closed Tuesday, October…
AHA Offices Closed
Due to hazardous conditions in the Washington area caused by Hurricane Sandy, the AHA’s offices will be closed Monday October…
History Jobs Update: October 26, 2012
In response to the many suggestions offered by our readers, we have tweaked some of the category labels for…
Session of the Week: The Deep History of Africa: New Narrative Approaches
In an effort to highlight the diverse range of scholarship at the upcoming annual meeting, we’re highlighting different sessions…
AHA Member Spotlight: Thomas C. Mackey
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
AHA Roundtable: The Presidential Debate of October 22, 2012
Last night’s debate began with a reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. My inner (or perhaps not so…
Linda Kerber on Roe v. Wade: Thinking Ahead to the 40th Anniversary
January 22, 2013, will mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. On that day, the annual ritual of protests…
Fundraising Begins for Jerry Bentley Prize in World History
The American Historical Association invites donations to endow a Jerry Bentley Book Prize in World History, which will honor Professor…
History Jobs Update: October 19, 2012
In an effort to keep our readers informed about the different academic positions trending on the job market, we are…
Session of the Week: Foods from Places, Foods with Stories: A Roundtable on the State of the Field of Food History
In an effort to highlight the diverse range of scholarship at the upcoming annual meeting, we’re featuring different sessions on…
AHA Roundtable: The Presidential Debate of October 16, 2012
Anthony Grafton, president of the AHA in 2011, wrote in his inaugural column in Perspectives on History that “Historians of…
AHA Member Spotlight: Amalia D. Kessler
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
The AHA in New Orleans: Sessions with a Local Flavor, Part 2—Queer Souths: A Multisession Workshop
During the annual meeting, we come together to learn from each other, but also from the cities and regions…
Announcing the Latest Robert H. Smith Seminar: The Supreme Court in the Age of Holmes and Brandeis
As the U.S. Supreme Court returns for the fall, it is therefore fitting to highlight the latest Robert H. Smith…
The Vice Presidential Debate of October 11, 2012: AHA Roundtable
Do vice presidential debates matter? That seemed to be the question of the day, the one that dominated the airwaves…
Newly Available Articles in Perspectives Online
The September 2012 issue of Perspectives Online is now available to AHA members and non-members alike. We welcome readers who…
2012 National Book Award Finalists Announced
The National Book Foundation announced the finalists for the 2012 National Book Awards yesterday morning. The finalists for the…
Session of the Week: Climate Change and Big History: From the Origin of Modern Humanity to the Little Ice Age
In an effort to highlight the diverse range of scholarship at the upcoming annual meeting, we’re highlighting different sessions…
AHA Member Spotlight: Philip Muehlenbeck
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize…
Search Committees: Start Planning Ahead Now to Schedule Conference Interviews in a Timely Manner
Search committees that will be conducting interviews at the AHA annual meeting in New Orleans should plan to schedule conference…
Runaway Jury? Mary Todd Lincoln Redeemed at Retrial
One of the more unique events related to the Emancipation Proclamation sesquicentennial involves a retrial for former First Lady…
AHA Roundtable: The Presidential Debate of October 3, 2012
As a community of historians the AHA believes that public discourse on any topic benefits from historical context and…
Session of the Week: The Emancipation Proclamation at 150: Dynamics, Contexts, and Legacies
In an effort to highlight the diverse range of scholarship at the upcoming annual meeting, we’re highlighting different sessions here…
AHA Member Spotlight: Colin F. Wilder
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
This Month in Perspectives on History
The October issue of Perspectives on History is in the mail to members, and some of its featured articles are…
The AHA in New Orleans: Sessions with a Local Flavor, Part 1—The Environment
During the annual meeting, we come together to learn from each other, but also from the cities in which we…
Coming Soon: AHA Roundtables on the Presidential Debates
The AHA announces a series of online forums featuring prominent historians commenting on the upcoming presidential and vice-presidential debates. This…