Harvard History Department

Harvard History Department Happenings at Harvard's History Department History is the study of the past. There is no concentration more diverse than History and none more individualistic.

It encompasses every dimension of human interaction, including social life, the economy, culture, thought, and politics. Students of history study individuals, groups, communities, and nations from every imaginable perspective—employing all the techniques of the humanities and social sciences to raise questions and probe for answers. While history has always been an important component of educatin

g Harvard students, it was not a department, in its own right, until 1839. For the first 200 years, Harvard University taught the events of the past through courses in classics, philosophy, politics, and economics. It was not until the nineteenth century that there was an idea of history as being a distinct field of study within academia. Even after the codification of the history department at Harvard, our students and faculty still drew upon the courses and resources within other departments, a tradition that still exists to this day. Many of our current faculty members share appointments with other departments on campus and are involved in interdisciplinary collaborations with committees, programs and institutions both at Harvard and around the world.

03/30/2022
08/10/2021

Between the French defeat in 1940 and liberation in 1944, the N***s killed almost 80,000 of France's Jews, both French and foreign. Since that time, this tragedy has been well-documented.

07/22/2021

For our latest episode of the HMSC Connects! podcast Jennifer Berglund speaks with Phil Deloria, the Leverett Saltonstall Professor in the Harvard History Department, and the chair of the committee on degrees in history and literature.

Deloria has been working with the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology as the chair of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act committee, and has been instrumental in guiding the Peabody on its efforts to repatriate culturally affiliated Native American remains and objects.

He recalls his childhood in South Dakota as the son of the well-known Standing Rock Sioux member and scholar Vine Deloria Jr., his circuitous journey from a career in music to academia, and the ethical issues introduced by NAGPRA.

Deloria says, “These objects have power to them; they retain a kind of aura, a sensibility. They’re objects that have meaning. NAGPRA, for all of its legislative and bureaucratic and legalistic stuff, is a profoundly spiritual kind of endeavor.”

Listen to the full episode: https://bit.ly/HMSCconnectspodcast

Image credit: Jim Harrison.

07/22/2021

Tiya Miles traces a mother and daughter’s story through a cotton sack.

We are hiring for a tenured position in Vietnamese history in conjunction with the Department of East Asian Languages an...
02/01/2021

We are hiring for a tenured position in Vietnamese history in conjunction with the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Please see academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/9971 for details:

The Department of History and the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations seek to jointly appoint a tenured professor to fill the Kenneth T. Young Chair of Vietnamese History. Candidates are welcome who focus on any period of Vietnamese history. The appointment is expected to begin on J...

02/01/2021

We are hiring for a lecturer in Modern U.S. History. Please see academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/10018 for details:

Address

35 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA
02138

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Harvard History Department posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category