It seems counterintuitive, but it can be a wonderful feeling to realize that you’re wrong.Duke philosophy and neuroscience professor Felipe De Brigard didn’t feel great at first when he realized that some claims in the paper that helped establish his career 15 years previous were wrong. But then he had a chance to discuss his errors publicly at a large conference. He was followed in his talk by other scientists, including John O’Keefe, a Nobel Laureate who, like De Brigard, studies the hippocampus in the brain.“John ended… read more about When I Was Wrong: Faculty Lessons From Their Mistakes »
Ten exceptional faculty members received the prestigious Bass Chairs, marking their induction into the Bass Society of Fellows. This honor recognizes their contributions to undergraduate teaching and research.The newly named chairs were celebrated during a reception at the Washington Duke Inn, where President Vincent Price, Provost Alec Gallimore and Vice Provost Candis Watts Smith offered remarks. They reflected on the qualities that define Bass Fellows, congratulated the new chairs, and expressed gratitude to the Bass… read more about Six Trinity Faculty Named 2025 Bass Chairs »
While March is celebrated as Women’s History Month, 2025 also marks a milestone: the 50th anniversary of the first United Nations World Conference on Women, held in June 1975 in Mexico City. The first in a series of four U.N. women’s conferences — which included Copenhagen in 1980, Nairobi in 1985 and Beijing in 1995 — the 1975 conference is considered by scholars to have been “a watershed moment.” Yet, few know about it. Professor of History Jocelyn Olcott wrote the book — or one of the books — on this landmark event… read more about Revisiting a Landmark in Global Feminism: Jocelyn Olcott Discusses the 50th Anniversary of the U.N. International Women’s Year Conference »
“Transformative ideas,” explained keynote speaker Roosevelt Montás, “are ideas that have the power to transform the world and transform you.”Hundreds of Duke students and faculty were listening and engaging. The first evening of the Transformative Ideas and POLIS Symposium kicked off in style last Thursday evening with a “Spring in the 20s” ball. Think suits, long dresses and live jazz.“We wanted to inspire our students and bring people together to reflect back and think forward at Duke’s centennial. Live jazz seemed to… read more about Transformative Ideas and Polis Programs Bring Serious Fun »
DUS James Chappel recently announced the winners of two of the History Department's undergraduate prizes: the Kaiwar Prize, in its second year, and the Historical Fiction Prize, in its first year. Each of the winners receives $250 and is eligible for publication in Historia Nova, the Duke Historical Review.The 2025 Kaiwar Prize is awarded to Thang Lian, for his paper entitled “Disentangling Empires: The Colonial Entanglements Between the Treaty of Ryswick, Spain, France, and Maroon… read more about Undergraduate Prizewinners Named »
On February 6, 2025, Duke History welcomed New York Times Opinion Columnist Jamelle Bouie to campus. After making a guest appearance in Dr. Reeve Huston's History of American Democracy class (HIST 120), Bouie spoke to an appreciative audience of approximately 400 at the Reynolds Industries Theater in the Bryan Center at 6pm. Looking both forward and back, Mr. Bouie mused on where America might be headed under the presidency of Donald Trump, and how our national history might help us to understand the current… read more about Jamelle Bouie Considers the Future and Looks to the Past »
All five university and community leaders honored at the annual Samuel DuBois Cook Society award ceremony Thursday night had the same message: When we embrace difference, we achieve excellence.Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper received the Cook Society’s Distinguished Service Award, given each year to a leader whose service reflects Cook’s social activism and leadership.“It has been said often that my cabinet and staff were by far the most diverse in state history,” Cooper said. “It has also been said that they were the… read more about Cook Society Awards: Five Campus & Community Leaders Who Built a ‘Beloved Community’ »
On January 4, 2025, at the 138th Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association, Thavolia Glymph concluded her term as AHA President and delivered a widely praised address, entitled "Paper Tracings in the Spectacularly Boisterous Archive of Slavery," to an appreciative gathering of historians from across the country, and beyond. We're pleased and proud to make it available here. She is introduced by Ben Vinson III, AHA president-elect, Howard University. "… read more about Thavolia Glymph Addresses AHA »
The Museum of Durham History (MoDH) opened a new Duke student-curated component of its ongoing exhibit “100 Years of Duke” titled "Our History, Our Voice: Latinés at Duke.”The exhibit provides an in-depth look at the complexities of Latiné identity at Duke, shedding light on both the challenges faced by the community — ranging from discrimination to institutional inequities — as well as the remarkable contributions it has made to the university.“Our History, Our Voice” is a powerful reminder of the lasting… read more about Museum of Durham History Unveils Exhibit on Latiné History at Duke »
Seven Trinity College of Arts & Sciences faculty members have been awarded funding from the Undergraduate Program Enhancement Fund. Backed by Duke’s Provost’s Office, the fund supports innovative proposals that enhance undergraduate experiential learning.Owen Astrachan, Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, will design a course called AI, Algorithms, and APIs: Great Ideas of Computer Science (Redux). He envisions the course as an alternative introduction to the major, with the goal of making it the one course… read more about Seven Trinity Faculty Awarded Funding to Enhance Undergraduate Programs »
Applications are now open for the second session of History+ — a 10-week paid mentored summer research program. In its inaugural year, History+ expanded the range of research opportunities for History department undergraduates by providing a program for them to become fully immersed in one single research project for multiple weeks. “Before History+, I struggled to find opportunities outside of class that allowed me to engage in novel research projects,” said Veronica Sanjurjo (T’25) who worked on the… read more about History+ Wants To Pay Students To Live, Work and Research History This Summer. Here’s How. »
On December 2, the Department of History and the Center for Documentary Studies hosted podcast host and writer Nate DiMeo, who read from his new book “The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past,” to a standing-room-only audience. “The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past” released by Random House on November 19, 2024. For fifteen years, Nate DiMeo's pioneering podcast, The Memory Palace — one of the first podcasts to be preserved by the Library of Congress… read more about Podcasting Public History — Department Hosts Book Tour Stop for Nate DiMeo of The Memory Palace »
Assistant Professor of History Sarah Balakrishnan's essay “Prison of the Womb: Gender, Incarceration, and Capitalism on the Gold Coast of West Africa, c. 1500-1957” was recognized by three awards: The American Society for Legal History has awarded the essay its Jane Burbank Global Legal History award. The Jane Burbank award recognizes the best article in regional, global, imperial, comparative, or transnational legal history published in the previous calendar year. The citation for the award reads as follows: "… read more about Sarah Balakrishnan's Essay Recognized With Three Awards »
On October 8, Yale University Press announced that a group of Yale University faculty members has named A Beautiful Ending: The Apocalyptic Imagination and the Making of the Modern World, by John Jeffries Martin (Yale University Press, 2022), as the fifth winner of the Pelikan Award. Martin is professor and former chair of the Department of History at Duke University.Jennifer Banks, Yale University Press’s Senior Executive Editor in Religion and the Humanities, said: “The committee was impressed by the book’s… read more about John Martin's "A Beautiful Ending" Wins Pelikan Award »
“You become like how you study.” This is one of the pedagogical philosophies that Polly Ha hopes to transmit as the new director of Transformative Ideas. The Divinity School and History professor exudes enthusiasm when describing the program, launched by the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences in 2022. “Transformative Ideas is really raising a new generation of leaders,” she said. “Students complete the program and carve a — sometimes new! — career path based on creativity, engagement and a desire to enrich the… read more about Meet Polly Ha, Transformative Ideas’ New Director »
The “Researching and Writing with Details in Mind: A Conversation with Bryant Simon,” event held by Duke History Hub facilitated a vibrant discussion among the faculty and students from the History Department over lunch on September 19th. Professor Adrienne Lentz-Smith acted as a conversation facilitator with Dr. Bryant Simon, Professor of History and Academic Chair of the University Honors Program at Temple University. Professor Simon shared an unfinished draft of a manuscript on the history of public bathrooms in America… read more about Bryant Simon Gets into the Details »
Whenever she found herself consumed by teenage boredom, Tamika Nunley knew exactly where to turn: her father’s extensive library. Growing up in a military family, Nunley spent most of her childhood living on Air Force bases overseas, where her father organized African American heritage clubs during his off-duty hours to celebrate and share Black history and culture with other military families. He also filled his world with books, giving his daughter carte blanche access. She credits “One More River to Cross,” a… read more about Tamika Nunley Invites Ordinary Voices to Historic Conversations »
Mélanie Lamotte first became interested in researching the Black experience as a teenager exploring her own genealogy. Tracing the maternal side of her family back seven generations, she identified an enslaved ancestor, Annerose, forced to work on a sugarcane plantation on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe during the late 18th century. Although Annerose was eventually emancipated, her descendants could not break the chains of economic disparities. A great grandfather had been homeless, and Lamotte’s mother grew up in… read more about Mélanie Lamotte Charts a New Course of Inquiry for French Slavery »
