University of Maine History Department

05/11/2026

The History Department ate cake and toasted graduates before the May 8 & 9 commencements. Congrats to HTY majors (r-to-l) Samuel Mather (off to law school), Katharine Poulin (planning to teach), Shane Harriman (going to a grad program in public history), Lauren Poulin (Katharine's twin sister and a Theater major), and Raymond Kieu (considering a move to Ohio). Konner Boucher (far right in the front row of CLAS grads) is also starting grad school in archival and library science. Graduate students include Savannah Clark (PhD), Asher Reisman (August MA), Lincoln Tiner (December MA, partial photo), and Tommy Pinette (August MA, no photo).

04/21/2026

UMaine was well represented at the Organization of American Historians annual conference in Philadelphia this past weekend. Faculty there included Mike Socolow (CMJ prof, but a HTY PhD!), Mary Freeman, Sam Backer, and Liam Riordan. Former UMaine PhDs were also there, Joy Giguere (Penn State York), presenting on cemetery monuments in Richmond after the Civil War, and David Turpie (Chief Communications Officer, Arizona Historical Society). Did we miss anyone?

04/20/2026

We invite you to the final History Symposium of the 2025-2026 academic year. The talk will be held from 5:30-7:00 PM TODAY, April 20 at the Hill Auditorium, Barrows Hall, and serves as this year's Howard B. Schonberger Peace and Justice Lecture. In the spirit of that series, we are delighted to host Michael Denning, an influential scholar whose work explores the intersection between popular culture, labor history, and the global structures of capitalism.

Denning's talk, titled "The Twofold Labors of Marx," seeks to turn a traditional understanding of Marx on its head by placing labor at the center of his theoretical work. Placing Marx's own labors amidst the crisis of artisanal labor, the emerging factory system, and the revolutionary overthrow of enslaved and enserfed labor, the talk explores Marx's account of the metabolism and metamorphosis of labor.

The talk is free, open to the public, and is hybrid. There will also be a pre-talk reception at 5 pm. For more info, see the attached flyer.

04/01/2026

Marta, Katharine, and Jeremy did a great job for the History Club at UMaine's accepted student day last week. If you are thinking about becoming a Black Bear, please visit campus on April 3 or 11, the last accepted student days of the spring.

03/18/2026

Always great to see one of our graduates succeed! Congrats to Sean. We know he’ll be a great addition to the museum.

Please join us in welcoming Sean Cox as our new Marketing and Operations Coordinator. Sean holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in History from the University of Maine, and recently earned his Ph.D. in History from University of New Brunswick, where his research focused on leisure automobile tourism in New England and the Canadian Maritimes.

In his new role, Sean will support the Museum’s day to day operations while helping expand our outreach through marketing, digital media, and event promotion. He will assist with communications and marketing materials, coordinate programs and events throughout the year, and work closely with our volunteers across tours, programs, and special events to ensure every visitor has a welcoming and engaging experience.

We are thrilled to have Sean on board and look forward to the impact he will make as we continue to grow and connect with our community.

03/17/2026

The 24th annual UMaine-UNB History Grad Student Conference is coming up on March 27-29, 2026. Hosted by our colleagues at UNB, several of our graduate students are presenting at the conference, both in person and remotely. The keynote speaker for this year's event is Dr. Mark McLaughlin, with a presentation titled "Blurring the Lines: Comic Books and Political Ecology in the Post-Second World War Northeast Borderlands." For more information, see the attached flyer.

03/06/2026

The second History Department symposium of the Spring 2026 semester will be held on Zoom this coming Monday, March 9 from 3:15-5:00 PM. Our guest will be Dr. Noam Maggor (Queen Mary University), who will be speaking on "The United States as a Developing Nation: Revisiting America's Gilded Age." This event is free and open to the public.

For information, see the attached flyer.

02/09/2026

A reminder that this event is happening today!

The first History Department symposium of the Spring 2026 semester will be held this coming Monday from 3:15-5:00 PM in the Bangor Room in the Memorial Union. Our guest will be Dr. Serena Zabin (Carleton College), who will be speaking on "Families in Revolution: Letters, Loyalty, and the Law in 1770s Connecticut." This event is free and open to the public.

For information, see the attached flyer.

02/04/2026

The first History Department symposium of the Spring 2026 semester will be held this coming Monday from 3:15-5:00 PM in the Bangor Room in the Memorial Union. Our guest will be Dr. Serena Zabin (Carleton College), who will be speaking on "Families in Revolution: Letters, Loyalty, and the Law in 1770s Connecticut." This event is free and open to the public.

For information, see the attached flyer.

11/24/2025

The call is out for the 24th annual UMaine-UNB History Grad Student Conference, happening March 28-29. Deadline to apply is January 5.

Today we're promoting the awesome ongoing work of our Department's grad students, who have been putting in a lot of work organizing the 24th UMaine-UNB History Graduate Student Conference:

"Resilience and Resistance: Challenging the Norm"

Please circulate the Call for Papers, and if you're a grad student yourself, go ahead and apply!