Historians in the News

Williams College names historian Maud Mande as new president

She’s served as dean at Brown.

Many professors in Wisconsin saw their fears of a 2015 change to state tenure law realized last week

Faculty members at Wisconsin Stevens Point react to a plan to cut 13 majors, including English, history, political science and sociology, and expand more job-oriented programs.

Patrick J. Charles, author of a new book on guns, defends militia-centric understanding of Second Amendment

“There’s been people on both sides who’ve misappropriated historical evidence over time or failed to fully contextualize it.”

UCLA historian Gabriel Piterberg is out for sexual harassment

Students have been demanding his ouster for 2 years.

Jonathan Zimmerman says students should go on strike to win gun control

by Jonathan Zimmerman

West Virginia teachers won by striking. There’s a lesson in that.

Historians’ assessment of Obama’s legacy

by Julian Zelizer

He sparked hope -- and got blindsided

Hayden White, author of the magisterial "Metahistory," has died (1928-2018)

by Scott McLemee

"Metahistory" was one of the most influential books in the humanities over the past four decades.

Princeton's Kevin Kruse Tweets the James Bond Villains in Trump's Administration

Kruse's tweets have drawn wide attention.

Max Boot says both North and South Korea have snookered Trump

by Max Boot

Moon and Kim have, for their own reasons, snookered the credulous American president into a high-profile summit that is likely to end in disaster one way or another.

Hamilton College's Robert L. Paquette is leaving after being marginalized for his conservative views, he says

A prizewinning history professor, he decided to leave after teaching there for 37 years, frustrated by what he deemed “marginalization” by other faculty and lack of support by the administration.

Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss Calls Meeting With Trump A ‘Dream Come True’ For Kim Jong Un

When all is said and done, it's possible that this meeting is nothing but an attempt by two small leaders to gain legitimacy via photo op.

Darlene Clark Hine is one of 3 to win the Dr. John Hope Franklin Award

In 2013, Hine was presented a National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama for her work on understanding the African-American experience.

Nixon Biographer Wins American History Book Prize

John A. Farrell, a journalist and the author of “Richard Nixon: The Life,” has won a $50,000 prize awarded by the New-York Historical Society.

Harvard historian says we should turn prisons into colleges

by Elizabeth Hinton

Elizabeth Hinton cites as an example a prison celebrated by a jailed Malcolm X. (It’s where he wanted to be sent.)

Catholic University’s Julia Young says nativism persists among US Catholics

by Julia G. Young

Proud of their own ancestors migration to America, they’re quick to condemn Mexicans who are coming here.

Two Museum Directors Say It’s Time to Tell the Unvarnished History of the U.S.

History isn’t pretty and sometimes it is vastly different than what we’ve been taught, say Lonnie Bunch and Kevin Gover.

Historian Romila Thapar: "I write what I think is right…take it or leave it”

A professional historian’s struggle in India with rightwing critics who want to silence her.

These History Ph.D. Programs Pay More Than Lip Service to Alternative Careers

Criticized for producing graduates with few job prospects, doctoral programs are starting to reform.

George Washington University's Katrin Schultheiss calls out (mostly male) dissertation advisors who desert their grad students

by Katrin Schultheiss

"It has taken me … decades to recognize that my experience of having a senior male nominal adviser and a female (usually more junior) actual adviser is common throughout academe.”

Undermined and Beleaguered, H.R. McMaster Soldiers On

The White House is knocking back speculation that Gen. McMaster will be replaced sooner rather than later.