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NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

The WHA Office often receives notifications about awards, scholarships, fellowships, and events that might be of interest to our members. We are also happy to share the news and accomplishments of individual members and programs.


When our staff receives requests to post news and announcements, you will find them here and on our social media platforms. Please email us if you wish to be included in our news and announcements feed! 

  • Wednesday, February 01, 2017 2:15 PM | Anonymous

    The Western History Association stands with the American Historical Association, and more than 20 other scholarly organizations Condemning the Executive Order Restricting Entry to the United States
    American Historical Association
    The American Historical Association strongly condemns the executive order issued by President Donald J. Trump on January 27 purportedly “protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States.” Historians look first to evidence: deaths from terrorism in the United States in the last fifteen years have come at the hands of native-born citizens and people from countries other than the seven singled out for exclusion in the order. Attention to evidence raises the question as to whether the order actually speaks to the dangers of foreign terrorism.

    It is more clear that the order will have a significant and detrimental impact on thousands of innocent people, whether inhabitants of refugee camps across the world who have waited months or even years for interviews scheduled in the coming month (now canceled), travelers en route to the United States with valid visas or other documentation, or other categories of residents of the United States, including many of our students and colleagues.

    The AHA urges the policy community to learn from our nation’s history. Formulating or analyzing policy by historical analogy admittedly can be dangerous; context matters. But the past does provide warnings, especially given advantages of hindsight. What we have seen before can help us understand possible implications of the executive order. The most striking example of American refusal to admit refugees was during the 1930s, when Jews and others fled Nazi Germany. A combination of hostility toward a particular religious group combined with suspicions of disloyalty and potential subversion by supposed radicals anxious to undermine our democracy contributed to exclusionist administrative procedures that slammed shut the doors on millions of refugees. Many were subsequently systematically murdered as part of the German “final solution to the Jewish question.” Ironically, President Trump issued his executive order on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

    Conversely, when refugees have found their way to our shores, the United States has benefited from their talents and energy. Our own discipline has been enriched by individuals fleeing their homelands. The distinguished historian of Germany Hajo Holborn arrived in 1934 from Germany. Gerda Lerner, a major force in the rise of women’s history, fled Austria in 1939. Civil War historian Gabor Boritt found refuge in the United States after participating in the 1956 uprising in Hungary. More recently, immigration scholar Maria Cristina Garcia fled Fidel Castro’s Cuba with her parents in 1961. The list is long and could be replicated in nearly every discipline.

    We have good reason to fear that the executive order will harm historians and historical research both in the United States and abroad. The AHA represents teachers and researchers who study and teach history throughout the world. Essential to that endeavor are interactions with foreign colleagues and access to archives and conferences overseas. The executive order threatens global scholarly networks our members have built up over decades. It establishes a religious test for scholars, favoring Christians over Muslims from the affected countries; and it jeopardizes both travel and the exchange of ideas upon which all scholarship ultimately depends. It directly threatens individuals currently studying history in our universities and colleges, as well as our ability to attract international students in the future. It also raises the possibility that other countries may retaliate by imposing similar restrictions on American teachers and students. By banning these nations’ best and brightest from attending American universities, the executive order is likely to increase anti-Americanism among their next generation of leaders, with fearsome consequences for our future national security.

    Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, like many of his colleagues before and since, did think historically in ways that should inform consideration of President Trump’s executive order. In a 1989 dissent (Skinner v. Railway Executives Association), Justice Marshall observed: “History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in time of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure. The World War II Relocation–camp cases and the Red Scare and McCarthy-era internal subversion cases are only the most extreme reminders that when we allow fundamental freedoms to be sacrificed in the name of real or perceived exigency, we invariably come to regret it.”

    This post has been updated to list the following affiliated societies’ endorsement of the above statement:
    American Association for State and Local History
    American Society for Environmental History
    Association for Israel Studies
    Berkshire Conference of Women Historians
    Business History Conference
    Central European History Society
    Chinese Historians in the United States
    Committee on LGBT History
    Conference on Asian History
    Conference on Latin American History
    Coordinating Council for Women in History
    Forum on European Expansion and Global Interaction
    New England Historical Association
    Organization of American Historians
    Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
    Society for Advancing the History of South Asia
    Society for Italian Historical Studies
    Southern Historical Association
    Urban History Association
    Western Association of Women Historians
    Western History Association
    World History Association




  • Tuesday, January 24, 2017 4:29 PM | Anonymous

    2018 Call for Papers
    58th Annual Conference of the Western History Association
    October 17-20, 2018, San Antonio, Texas

     REIMAGINING RACE AND ETHNICITY
    IN THE WEST

     From October17-20, 2018 the Western History Association will meet in San Antonio, Texas and the theme is “Reimagining Race and Ethnicity in the West.” The program committee invites papers and presentations that explore the historical origins, legacy, and construction of race and ethnicity in the North American West. We especially welcome panels that address the complex intersections of race, gender, class, and ethnicity from a variety of perspectives. Fundamental to histories of race and ethnicity are issues of authority, and considering recent events, this warrants a very timely and meaningful conference theme. Histories of race and ethnicities remain vital to any understanding of Western history. Social, cultural, and political movements have often prompted social change, reform, and the expansion of democracy. San Antonio, a city once steeped in Davy Crockett’s revolutionary spirit, is complicated by a history in which Tejanos, Mexicans, and Americans sacrificed their lives for independence. Originally, the Payaya Nation referred to this place as Yanaguana, or “refreshing waters.” Later, Spanish settlers changed the Indigenous name to San Antonio, after patron Saint Anthony of Padua, a Saint devoted to the recovery of lost items. San Antonio’s rich history is central to the conference theme. Throughout the centuries, this region has witnessed a collision of empires, numerous wars, and systems of colonization—a place known for its tragedies, victories, and second chances. As our host site for the 2018 WHA conference, San Antonio represents a place of convergence where historians can recover the significance and stories of how race and ethnicity transformed the West.

    In addition to traditional paper sessions, we welcome submissions that integrate creative formats and seek to expand conference participation through invitations to scholars, teachers, students, and the public. We request full session submissions, and will consider individual papers. All panel submissions must designate one person as their main contact. The program committee assumes that every presenter listed in a proposed session has consented to participate in the conference. For all proposals, panel or individual, each presenter must include a one-paragraph abstract, a one-page c.v., with mailing address, phone, email, and indicate their AV equipment needs. Panel submissions also require a 250-word abstract outlining the purpose and title of their proposed session. Electronic submissions are required and should be sent, with supporting materials, as a single PDF document to 2018 Program Committee Co-Chairs, Kent Blansett and Farina King at wha2018callforpapers@gmail.com. The submission deadline is September 1, 2017 for individual papers and December 1, 2017 for organized panels.

     

  • Wednesday, January 11, 2017 3:15 PM | Anonymous


    Dear Colleagues,

    The Nominating Committee seeks your input in creating a slate of candidates for this year's Western History Association election. Please submit nominations for: WHA President-elect, two Council members, and two members of the Nominating Committee. 

    From the 
    WHA Constitution and Bylaws:
    The President presides at all meetings of the Western History Association and the Council during the President's year of service. The President makes appointments to committees and designates committee chairs. The President encourages the establishment of affiliated organization status between other appropriate organizations and the WHA.

    The Council consists of the President, the President-elect, Executive Director, and seven elected members. The Council presents a complete report of actions and activities to the membership at the annual business meeting. Elected Council members serve three-year terms.

    The Nominating Committee consists of five elected members each serving two-year terms. The Nominating Committee seeks suggestions from WHA members by February 15 each year and prepares the slate of candidates for President-elect, Council, and Nominating Committee. 

    Candidates for all elected positions need to be members in good standing.

    Please email your nominations for President-elect, Council, and Nominating Committee by February 15 to any member of the Nominating Committee listed below.

    On behalf of the Nominating Committee, thank you!

    Josh Reid, Chair (2017)
    University of Washington
    jlreid@uw.edu

     Susan Gray (2017)
    Arizona State University
    segray@asu.edu

     Leisl Carr-Childers (2018)
    University of Northern Iowa
    leisl.carr-childers@uni.edu

     George Díaz (2018)
    University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
    george.diaz@utrgv.edu

    Lori Lahlum (2018)
    Minnesota State University, Mankato
    lori.lahlum@mnsu.edu

  • Tuesday, January 10, 2017 1:55 PM | Anonymous

     The MHS Publications Program is the publisher of Montana The Magazine of Western History (MMWH) and Montana Historical Society Press books. MMWH is an award-winning scholarly journal now in its sixty-sixth year of publication. It is a definitive source for scholarship on Montana and the West. MMWH's readership includes general subscribers, MHS members, and Western History Association members. Also widely recognized for excellence, the Montana Historical Society Press publishes approximately three titles per year in the fields of western history, with sixty books and twenty e-books on its list. In addition, the Publications Program actively participates in the MHS social media and video programs; produces MHS newsletters, calendars, and advertisements; and engages in joint projects with other MHS programs, including editing of Museum exhibits, giving educational talks, and helping with and planning for public events. The associate editor plays a vital role in all aspects these activities in terms of his/her participation in planning, project management and production, research and development, information management, marketing, and product distribution.

    For more information visit https://mtstatejobs.taleo.net/careersection/200/jobdetail.ftl?job=17140045

  • Tuesday, January 03, 2017 1:27 PM | Anonymous

    Diablo Valley College is seeking a full-time tenure track instructor in History to begin August 2017. The successful applicant will be well qualified to teach to all Latin American history courses in addition to any or all of the following courses listed in the DVC catalogue: Hist 135 and 136 (Latin America and perspectives in US); Hist 125 (Mexico and perspectives in US); Hist 124 (California); and Hist 126 (US West).
     For more information please visit https://www.4cdcareers.net/postings/4011

  • Wednesday, December 21, 2016 4:00 PM | Anonymous

    The Western History Association is pleased to announce that all WHA awards, scholarships and fellowships will now be given annually. Look for updated submission information in January of 2017 at www.westernhistory.org/awards

  • Monday, November 21, 2016 4:11 PM | Anonymous




     Revisiting the Summer of Love, Rethinking the Counterculture:
    An Academic Conference on the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love
    July 27 - 29, 2017
    San Francisco, CA
    Call for Papers Submission Deadline: January 15, 2017
    www.summerofloveconference.org


     
    Northwestern University’s Center for Civic Engagement and the California Historical Society invite scholars to submit paper proposals for this interdisciplinary conference celebrating and reexamining the Summer of Love and its associated events, contexts, and implications.

    The conference’s major theme is community, exploring how that idea–and reality–was renewed, explored, interrogated, and reimagined in a multiplicity of ways during the Summer of Love.

    As an interdisciplinary meeting, the conference welcomes scholars from all interested fields and theoretical perspectives. We are particularly interested in papers that bridge disciplines.

    Suggested topics include art, from drama and dance to poster art and music; writers and writing, including New Journalism and contemporary theorists; minorities and marginalized populations; GLBT and gender issues; urban studies; and implications of the Summer of Love on today’s social movements.

    Professors, independent scholars, students, and professionals working outside of the academy are welcome to participate. Adjunct professors and graduate students are particularly encouraged to apply. Limited assistance is available for graduate students and adjunct faculty to help defray the costs of conference participation.

    Proposals include an abstract of up to 250 words and a brief bio of no more than 150 words and are due by January 15, 2017. For more information visit www.summerofloveconference.org

  • Tuesday, October 04, 2016 7:59 PM | Anonymous

    Distinguished scholars in History or Political Science are invited to apply for the Wayne N. Aspinall Chair at Colorado Mesa University.  For a $10,000 stipend, the visiting professor will spend three weeks on the Colorado Mesa University campus in late March-to mid- April 2018, teach a one credit course, give a major public lecture, and make any other invited appearances.  Applications must include a vitae, a brief outline of a course proposal and a topic for the major public lecture.  Submit application by February 10, 2017 to: Professor Steven C. Schulte, Department of History, Colorado Mesa University, 1100 North Ave., Grand Junction, CO 81501.  Feel free to direct any inquiries to Schulte@coloradomesa.edu or 970 248-1418.


Western History Association

University of Kansas | History Department

1445 Jayhawk Blvd. | 3650 Wescoe Hall

Lawrence, KS 66045 | 785-864-0860

wha@westernhistory.org 


The WHA is located in the Department of History at the University of Kansas. The WHA is grateful to KU's History Department and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for their generous support!