Congratulations to those presenting and representing the department at the 2025 Annual SHAFR Conference!
Frank Costigiola
Bradley Simpson
Grace Easterly
Gabrielle Westcott
Jenna Ulizio ’26 and Everett Padro ’26 presenting at int’l virtual conference 6/19
Jenna Ulizio ’26 and Everett Padro ’26 will present at the online seminar “Public history for contested and conflicting past(s)” on Thursday, June 19. The seminar is organized by the students of the Master in Digital and Public History (MADiPH) at the University of Luxembourg:
The past is subject to multiple historical interpretations. Perhaps more than ever, the current context offers many examples of contested – and sometimes conflicting – views and interpretations of the past. Beyond certain events and topics that appear very controversial, the overall production, mediation, and discussion of history are also at stake. The very existence, practices and discussion of evidence-based research are sometimes threatened. In this context, we may question what public history can bring to the discussion, what roles historians (still) have in the public interpretations of the past. How does public history deal with controversies, handle contested and conflicting topics?
Luke Reynolds to deliver Siborne Lecture on June 19th
Luke Reynolds has been invited to deliver the annual Siborne Lecture at the National Army Museum in London on June 19th. This lecture is part of the National Army Museum’s Waterloo Week (16 – 22 June) held to mark the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.
Manisha Sinha Featured in the New York Times
Prof. Manisha Sinha was quoted in a May 25 New York Times piece, looking back at the murder of George Floyd and the 2020 movement for Black lives. Prof. Sinha is quoted alongside Ibram X. Kendi and Steven Hahn, among others, and seeks to place the events of 2020, as well as the subsequent reactionary backlash, within its long-term historical context.
Access the piece here.
Fiona Vernal work supporting oral history in CT featured in UConn Today article
In collaboration with Connecticut Humanities and the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, Fiona Vernal has made an online platform TheirStory accessible to CT organizations and residents to support the creation of oral history collections. Vernal began working with TheirStory creator Zack Ellis in 2022 working on a project on West Indian, African American, and Puerto Rican migrations to Hartford. The article also details the other CT organization and communities that have benefitted from this collaboration.
Helen Rozwadowski Interviewed for Blue History Network Podcast
Professor Helen Rozwadowski was interviewed for the Blue History Network Podcast, which is now up on Spotify and the network’s website. In this podcast, Professor Rozwadowski delves into “a wide variety of subjects, from oceanography in the Nineteenth century to how we, in the present, bring ocean history to the attention of the public“. She also discusses her books, Fathoming the Ocean and Vast Expanses.
Manisha Sinha Quoted In Guardian Article about First 100 Days
On May 2nd, Professor Manisha Sinha was quoted in the Guardian article, “Trump 100 days: White House action plan makes Project 2025 look mild“. The article, written by Rachel Leingang, looks at the role that the policies outlined in Project 2025 are playing the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second presidential term.
To read the article: Here
Frank Costigliola’s Recent Book Wins Sharon Harris Book Award
Congratulations to Professor Frank Costigliola, whose recent biography of US diplomat and strategist George Kennan was just named a co-winner of the Sharon Harris Book Award fr
om the UConn Humanities Institute.
The book has been warmly received by scholars and the reading public, including an enthusiastic recent review in The New York Review of Books. An unpaywalled version of the review can be found here: The Enigma of George Kennan
Nu-Anh Tran Editor of Special Journal Issue
On the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, a special issue of the Journal of Vietnamese Studies offers thirteen original translations of Vietnamese songs, poe
ms, memoirs, and fiction about the end of the war and its aftermath. Co-edited by Nu-Anh Tran and Trinh M. Luu, the collection is ideal for teaching at the college- and high school-level. Browse the issue at https://online.ucpress.edu/jvs/issue/20/2
Alexis Dudden Quoted on South Korean Democracy
Earlier this month, Professor Alexis Dudden was quoted in the New York Times article, “How South Korea’s Democracy Prevailed Over a Reckless Leader”. The article, written by Choe Sang-Hun, analyzes the attempted coup by former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol and what its outcome says about democracy in South Korea.
To read the article: Article