Welcome to the Department of History!
Mark Atwood Lawrence, Chair
Professor Emerita Jacqueline Jones awarded Pulitzer Prize in History
Professor Emerita of History Dr. Jacqueline Jones has been awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for history for her book No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era (Basic Books, 2023). The Pulitzer committee praised Jones’ “breathtakingly original reconstruction of free Black life in Boston that profoundly reshapes our understanding of the city’s abolitionist legacy and the challenging reality for its Black residents.”
New on Not Even Past
NEP's Features section includes David Conrad's fascinating review of a spectacular exhibition of Japanese woodblocks currently showing at the Blanton Museum of the Art; Andrew Straw's important reflections about the life and legacy of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny; and Atar David's intriguing dive into the 1878 eclipse in Texas.
The site's Reviews section published Emma Fisk's assessment of Inga Saffron's book Caviar: The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World's Most Coveted Delicacy, and Alexandra Tipps' fascinating review of Stewart Lee Allen's book A Devil's Cup: History of the World According to Coffee.
Finally, The UT History Department's award-winning podcast, 15 Minute History is back with new episodes on the history of the Glen Canyon Dam and water scarcity, political division in the US, and the Hapsburg Empire.
Welcome to the History Department at The University of Texas at Austin!
We are a large and distinguished department, filled with prize-winning scholars and innovative teachers who write field-defining books and articles, teach engaging classes, and work as public historians. We investigate historical events from across the globe and over the last two millennia. Our collaborative community of scholars centers on our Institute of Historical Studies and on our vibrant graduate program. Our faculty have established pioneering courses such as Japan Lab, the Mapping Violence Project, the Radical Hope Syllabus, and the Normandy Scholars Program, and they reach audiences beyond the university with their digital magazine and podcasts, including Not Even Past, This is Democracy, and 15 Minute History. We are convinced of the power of historical inquiry to tell us about the processes that have shaped our world. Continue reading ...