History's Relevance
A detail from a 1892 map attributed to James T. Dubois entitled, "The Altograph of Washington City, or, Stranger's Guide.
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Featured Articles
New Challenges for Library Reading Rooms
In this era of rapidly increasing digital access to books and articles, how should libraries use their venerated reading rooms?…
Historical Advisory Committee Reports on Declassification Bottlenecks
The Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation to the Department of State (HAC) has recommended, in its annual report, a…
Why National History Day Matters More than Ever
In recent months we have tried to highlight events that stress the importance of history in public dialogue, and National…
The Mitch Daniels Controversy: Context for the AHA Statement
Debates over acadmic freedom, bias in historical writing, and the proper role of a state government in the classroom heated…
A Flurry of Activity on Capitol Hill
In the months since my previous column, there have been a number of major developments in Washington affecting the interests…
History’s Relevance
In February 2013 the AHA joined a group of historians in signing an amicus brief in US v. Windsor, a case before…
Statement on Policies Regarding the Embargoing of Completed History PhD Dissertations
At its June 2013 meeting, the drafted a statement on policies regarding best practices for embargoing completed history PhD dissertations.…
Statement on Online Dissertation Policies: Frequently Asked Questions
The publication of the "Statement on Policies Regarding the Embargoing of Completed History PhD Dissertations” has generated wide discussion, including…
AHA Supports Visas for Cuban Scholars to Attend LASA Conference
The following letter was submitted to US Secretary of State John Kerry to support the granting of visas for Cuban…
The AHA Supports Russian Scholars
During its June 2 meeting, the drafted the following statement in support of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian…
AHR Will Retain Equality in Submission Policies
"Author-Pays" Model of Open Access at Odds with Journal's Mission The movement to make academic research findings more accessible to…
The Next Big Thing
In my May column, I described the very circuitous route from my intended second book to the completely different one…
Lessons of Munich, Lessons of Vietnam, Lessons of History
The phrase "lessons of history" virtually never appeared in English-language books at the beginning of the 19th century, to judge…
What Counts: On Books, Articles, and Productivity
Editor's note: This article continues a conversation started by Sara Maza in the September 2012 issue of Perspectives on History on the “Age of…
An Assignment from Our Students: An Undergraduate View of the Historical Profession
What do 18-year-olds think of historians and our work? I should have known that was a dangerous question to ask…
Teaching Middle Eastern History in North America: Challenges and Prospects
Student interest in the Middle East and its history in North American universities has proliferated notably in response to the…
Letter to an Angry Parent
Dear Mr. Smith, Thank you for your recent e-mail about your son’s experience in my world history course at Stevenson…
Dispatches from an Eventful #Summer
There is an astonishing circulation of letters and newspapers among these savage woods…. I do not think that in the…
Retirement from the National History Center
In 2000, James Banner revived the venerable idea of a center for the study of history in the nation's capital.…
Affiliated Societies, September 2013
Organization of American Historians Thanks to a generous grant from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, the Organization of American Historians is…
Member News, September 2013
AHA members are encouraged to submit news about their careers, including prizes, promotions, honors, tenure, and new jobs. If you…
On to Washington, DC, for the 2014 Annual Meeting
The 128th annual meeting of the Association will be held January 2-5, 2014, in Washington, DC, at the Marriott Wardman…
Call for Proposals for the 129th Annual Meeting of the AHA
The 129th annual meeting of the American Historical Association will be held on January 2–5, 2015, in New York City.…
New Ideas for Creative Formats at the Annual Meeting
It has now been 10 years since Roy Rosenzweig, then the vice president of the AHA's Research Division, called for…
On “AHA Job Ads and AAUP Censure”
Perspectives on Historywelcomes letters to the editor on issues discussed in its pages or which are relevant to the profession.…
On “Emancipation, the Cold War, and Hidden Themes of History”
Perspectives on History welcomes letters to the editor on issues discussed in its pages or which are relevant to the profession. Letters should follow…
On “History for Non-majors”
Perspectives on History welcomes letters to the editor on issues discussed in its pages or which are relevant to the profession. Letters should follow…
Robert Berkhofer Jr. (1931-2012)
Historian of Theory and Native America, 50 Year Member of the AHA Robert F. Berkhofer Jr., professor of history emeritus…
William R. Roff (1929–2013)
Historian of Southeast Asia and Muslim Societies William R. Roff, known to so many friends at home and abroad as…
Robert V. Remini (1921–2013)
Political Biographer and Historian of the House of Representatives, 50 Year Member of the AHA At the age of 80,…
Sabine MacCormack (1941–2012)
Historian of Late Antiquity and Andean History Sabine MacCormack died unexpectedly of a heart attack while tending her garden. In…
Theodore Hamerow (1920–2013)
Historian of German Unification, 50 Year Member of the AHA Theodore S. Hamerow, G. P. Gooch Professor of History Emeritus…
Lenard Berlanstein (1947-2013)
Cultural and Social Historian of Modern France Following a courageous struggle, Lenard Berlanstein, Commonwealth Professor of History Emeritus at the…
Name That Career
There are many editing quandaries that can be solved with a quick look at a style guide or a clarifying…
History Jobs Update: September 27, 2013
In an effort to keep our readers informed about the different academic positions trending on the job market, we are…
Flashback Friday: The Puppy Feller
Each week we scour the web for interesting and historic documents that catch our eye, make us think or simply…
AHA Member Spotlight: Hidetaka Hirota
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
Historians Among 24 Scholars Recognized for MacArthur Fellowship Grants
The AHA is delighted to report that historians Julie Livingston and Robin Fleming were among the 24 people recognized with…
GradPay Project Aims to Track Graduate Stipends
In the spirit of the Chronicle’s Adjunct Project, a new crowdsourced project to track graduate stipends called GradPay was recently…
Now Available—Edward L. Ayers on How Undergraduates See the Historical Profession
As we sat in the packed room at the 2013 annual meeting Plenary Session, “The Public Practice of History in…
Introducing AHA Communities: An Online Hub for Historians
Since 1884, the American Historical Association, and by extension our annual meeting, has served as the center for history professionals…
AHA Job Opening: Associate Editor, Perspectives on History
The American Historical Association is seeking an associate editor to join the publications team at AHA headquarters on Capitol Hill…
History Jobs Update: September 20, 2013
In an effort to keep our readers informed about the different academic positions trending on the job market, we are…
Flashback Friday: The First Tour de France (1903)
Each week we scour the web for interesting and historic documents that catch our eye, make us think or simply…
Congratulations to the Fellows in the 2013 ACLS Program in East Europe Studies!
The American Council of Learned Societies recently announced the 2013 cohort of fellows in the ACLS Program in East Europe…
AHA Member Spotlight: Ethan Schmidt
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
Cataloging for the Future: NARA on Archiving Federal E-mail Records
We have come a long way since Raymond Tomlinson sent the first exploratory e-mail in 1971. Playing around on ARPANET,…
In Time for Constitution Day: A New Guide for Teaching in Civics, Economics, Geography, and History
In collaboration with over 20 states and 15 social studies content organizations, including the AHA, the National Council for the…
Preregister for the 2014 AHA Annual Meeting
Preregistration is now open for the AHA’s 128th annual meeting in Washington, DC, January 2–5, 2014. Preregister now and take…
Letters of a Historian: C. Vann Woodward’s Correspondence
The September 9 Chronicle of Higher Education carried brief excerpts from the newly published Letters of C. Vann Woodward (Yale…
New Three Year Membership Option Available
New members and current members are able to lock in current membership rate for three years when you join or…
Now Open in Perspectives: The Many Modes of the Productive Scholar
We are pleased to recommend Paula Findlen’s essay in the September issue of Perspectives on History, “What Counts: On Books,…
Flashback Friday: Truck at the Treasury
Each week we scour the web for interesting and historic documents that catch our eye, make us think or simply…
Now Accepting Applications: Editor/American Historical Review
Who will play the largest role shaping the discipline of history in the United States in the next few years?…
AHA Member Spotlight: Chris Chulos
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
Historians’ Peripheral Vision: The Discussion Continues at London’s Institute for Historical Research
On September 11, 12:30–3:00 p.m. EDT, theInstitute for Historical Research in London will webcast a live forum, Teaching the Wider…
Now Open in Perspectives: An Open Letter to an Angry Parent
I’m watching discussion of the #myprofessor hashtag take off this week—sharing in the dismay and hoping these claims by students…
Institute for Constitutional History Robert H. Smith Seminar
The Institute for Constitutional History is pleased to announce another Robert H. Smith seminar for advanced graduate students and junior…
Flashback Friday: Truman in a Sea of Trumans
Each week we scour the web for interesting and historic documents that catch our eye, make us think or simply…
Call for Proposals for 2015 Annual Meeting
The Call for Proposals for the 2015 annual meeting in New York is now available. The theme of the meeting…
AHA Member Spotlight: Bill Issel
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
Call for Applicants: AHA Advisory Committee on Disability Mentorship Program
Take advantage of an exciting networking opportunity and make valuable connections! The American Historical Association’s Advisory Committee on Disability is…
Perspectives on History Arriving Soon—Available Online Now
It’s time to take your mail off of vacation hold; Perspectives on History is back from summer hiatus. To be…