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 »
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 »
Veronica Sanjurjo has been named the undergraduate student winner of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library's Chester P. Middlesworth Award for her paper, “A Diary’s Purpose: Sarah J. Ewing’s Portrait of Domestic Abuse in Victorian London.” The award comes with a prize of $1,000.The Middlesworth Awards were established to encourage and recognize excellence of analysis, research and writing by Duke University students in the use of primary sources and rare materials held by the Rubenstein Rare Book… read more about History Major Receives 2024 Chester P. Middlesworth Award »
History's inaugural Summer 2024 program, a mentored, research experience for undergraduates, was recently featured on the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies website. read more about "Making Public History" with History+ »
Craig Kolman, Assistant to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of History, was one of three Trinity College of Arts & Sciences staff members recognized with this year’s Dean’s Pillar of Excellence Award. Kolman is known in his home department for his prompt responses and service-oriented nature, for providing resources, demonstrating leadership in decision-making and process improvement, and taking the initiative to continually enhance programs and services. Fellow staff in the History department… read more about Craig Kolman Receives Dean’s Pillars of Excellence Award »
Three undergraduate students whose research shows their deep expertise on number theory, 19th century American history and analysis of poetry were honored with Faculty Scholar Awards, the highest honor bestowed by university faculty on undergraduates. Presented through the Academic Council, the 2024 winners are Sarah Konrad, Arielle Stern and Marie-Hélène Tomé. The award was established to highlight students who are likely to pursue a scholarly career and already have established a record of research and independent study… read more about Three Juniors Named Faculty Scholars »
Shanzeh Sheikh is a graduating senior with majors in History and Global Heath with a minor in Asian American and Diaspora Studies. She has served as a Trinity Ambassador for the Department of History. Trinity Ambassadors are student volunteers, nominated by their departments, to serve in this unique and important role. We asked a few of the ambassadors from the Class of 2024 to share their favorite memories from Duke. The below interview has been slightly edited for clarity. What was one of the most… read more about Class of 2024: Shanzeh Sheikh »
Five Trinity students made their way to South Bend, Indiana for the 18th annual ACC Meeting of the Minds conference in April. Thang Lian, Sasha Bacot, Julia Davis, Abby Cortez and Trisha Santanam were selected to represent Duke and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences in the annual research conference celebrating undergraduate research and creative inquiry. Hosted this year by the University of Notre Dame, the Meeting of the Minds invites students from the 15 Atlantic Coast Conference member schools to participate by… read more about Trinity Students Head to the ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference »
Historian Thavolia Glymph, cell biologist Cagla Eroglu and three Duke University trustees are among the 250 prominent scholars, artists and leaders elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on Wednesday. Trustees Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.; and Grant Hill, investor and philanthropist with Hill Ventures Inc. were also elected, as was Duke alumna Melanie Matchett Wood, William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University, a leading mathematician of number… read more about Historian Thavolia Glymph Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences »
Six members of the Class of 2025 have been named to the fourth class of Nakayama Scholars. The Nakayama Public Service Scholarship bolsters the university’s efforts to encourage students to use their Duke experience to engage with significant challenges facing communities around the world. The students represent multiple disciplines across Duke’s academic departments as well as a variety of future career pursuits. Juniors Vineet Chovatia, Amy Fulton, Sarah Konrad, Will Lieber, Thomas Newberry, and Elliot… read more about Duke Names Fourth Class of Nakayama Scholars »
Sarah Balakrishnan, Assistant Professor of History, was recently shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Balakrishnan specializes in imperialism and colonialism in West Africa, and explores the anticolonial movement in Southern Ghana. Her short story, “When Things End,” is about a sexual relationship between a white Zimbabwean professor and a young graduate student of color. It explores themes of gender, race, power and inequality, and asks tough questions about what happens when a coercive relationship… read more about Sarah Balakrishnan Shortlisted in Prestigious Short Story Contest »
John Hope Franklin’s “From Slavery to Freedom” offered a cogent, comprehensive history of African Americans at a time when most white Americans did not believe that Black people had a history worth telling. First published in 1947, two years after the American victory over German white supremacists in World War II and decades into the Black freedom struggle against American white supremacy, the book did not simply provide a one-volume, “History of Negro Americans,” as the subtitle put it. It constructed a sweeping,… read more about 75 Years After Publishing His Magnum Opus, John Hope Franklin Is Still an Inspiration »
The “Picture This!” event held by Duke History Hub witnessed an exciting talk about several historical pictures among the faculty and students from the History Department on the afternoon of March 28th. The panelists chose the photos in their research and provided contextual remarks on a website designed by Avrati Bhatnagar. Below the photos, the researchers proposed several questions to engage the audience in the discussion. The attendees actively shared their understanding of each image based on their personal focus and… read more about History Hub Presents "Picture This!" »
On Wednesday, March 27th, in light of the over 500 anti-trans, anti-queer, and anti-DEI bills that have been introduced into legislation this year alone, the History Graduate Student Association and the History Department organized to host an event built around advocacy, education, and fun. “Stop Anti-Trans Legislation: A Drag Performance,” featured professional drag performers, Stormie Daie, Mx. Princexx Peritwinkle, and G-Clef for a spectacular event, open to the public. Music was provided by DJ Webbie, with speakers Pete… read more about Dancing in the Halls! HGSA's Drag Event Shines a Light on Anti-Trans Legislation »
On February 29, Professor Barnes presented one chapter of her book script, “Think Before You Flush: Your Body’s Secrets to a Healthier Ecosystem”. The professors and students from the Duke and UNC history departments attended the meeting and raised interesting questions about 20th-century China’s manure disposal. Those whose fields lie in agriculture and commerce in modern Europe and America drove the discussion to understand China’s building of a modern face treatment system from a global perspective. They suggested the… read more about History Hub Workshop with Nicole Barnes: "Think Before You Flush" »
Jessica Borsellino presented a chapter of her dissertation, “Medicine for Generations: Healing Work in Kiowa Communities, 1867-1920,” on January 26. The professors and students in the history department attended her presentation and contributed their comments and suggestions on Borsellino’s work. After talking about the availability and possibility of using more materials of oral history records, the discussion's focus turned to the chapter's writing structure. Borsellino was suggested that she should bring some details and… read more about History Hub Workshop with Jessica Borsellino: "Medicine for Generations" »
