A century ago, WashU’s Department of History conferred its first doctoral degree. Since then, generations of PhD students have passed through the program, going on to careers as scholars, teachers, public historians, and leaders.
On Sept. 19, the department will mark the milestone with a centennial celebration bringing together faculty, students, and alumni to reflect on 100 years of doctoral education at WashU — and consider where the program goes next. The celebration is open to all, with an online stream available for those unable to attend in person.
Steve Hindle, the Derek Hirst Endowed Professor of Early Modern British History and chair of the event’s organizing committee, helped plan a program that looks both at the work of historians and the paths graduates have taken beyond WashU.
The opening panel, “Transfers of People, Resources, and Power: Histories of Contestations over Justice,” will feature Bianca Lopez of Southern Methodist University, Amanda Scott of Pennsylvania State University, and John Aerni-Flessner of Michigan State University. Their talks will examine trade in the medieval Adriatic, the treatment of juvenile offenders in early modern Spain, and the lasting effects of apartheid-era water development on contemporary protest in Southern Africa.
A second panel, “Imperial Dreams and Post-Imperial Possibilities,” will feature Benjamin Cawthra of California State University, Fullerton; En Li of the University of Texas at Dallas; and Waseem Kasim of Elon University. They will discuss a reimagined World War II-era Italy, the Chinese roots of Hawaiian hula dance, and the ways Muslims in Ghana shape approaches to healing and medical treatment.
After lunch, the focus will shift to the varied careers of history PhD graduates. Alumni James Palmer of Grinnell College, Laura Westhoff of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Chang Xu of Rice University, and Justin Meyer of Principia College and WashU will discuss the mentoring and training they received as WashU graduate students.
The final panel will bring together alumni Kevin Butterfield, Tanya Roth, Sara Jay, and David Pennington to discuss the paths their careers have taken since leaving WashU.
For Corinna Treitel, the William Eliot Smith Endowed Professor and chair of the Department of History, the centennial is an opportunity to do what historians do best: place the present within a longer story.
Until a few years ago, no one in the modern-day department knew exactly when its first doctoral degree had been awarded. That changed when a faculty member began digging into the department’s history and uncovered the answer.
“Historians know how enjoyable, meaningful, and necessary it is to understand one’s place in a longer story that both precedes us and will continue after us,” Treitel said. “We look forward to a celebration in which faculty, alums, and students — many of whom do not know each other — come together to make that history.”
