UMass Department of History

UMass Department of History The History Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst The History Department at UMass Amherst. Because in a vibrant democracy.

UMass faculty and graduate students have collaborated over the past several years to ask new questions about the role of...
09/04/2026

UMass faculty and graduate students have collaborated over the past several years to ask new questions about the role of mass knowledge production—whether artistic, scientific, or technical—in China’s Great Leap Forward. Their work culminated in a book published this month, A Revolution Across Art and Science: Participatory Knowledge Production in China’s Great Leap Forward.

Edited by UMass historian Sigrid Schmalzer and art historian Christine Ho, the volume includes essays by PhD students Jaehee Seol, Guanhua Tan, Bing Xia, and Fanqi Xu. Together, they reveal how laborers reimagined knowledge during the Great Leap Forward. The volume is a bold call to confront big questions and lasting contradictions in Mao-era history, driven by the research questions of a dynamic cohort of UMass History graduate students.

Pictured: Jaehee Seol, Sigrid Schmalzer, and Fanqi Xu review images from the Great Leap Forward

The History Department has added four new exciting courses to our fall lineup! Please join us! Register now on SPIRE.Que...
09/03/2026

The History Department has added four new exciting courses to our fall lineup! Please join us! Register now on SPIRE.

Questions? Email [email protected] or contact the faculty for course details.

This semester, the history department welcomes our newest faculty member, Fredrick Walter Lorenz. Lorenz, a historian of...
09/02/2026

This semester, the history department welcomes our newest faculty member, Fredrick Walter Lorenz. Lorenz, a historian of the late Ottoman Empire, joins the department as assistant professor of Middle Eastern history.

Learn more at the link in bio.

The 2026 World Cup has brought a soccer fervor to Massachusetts, and UMass historian Brian D. Bunk is meeting the moment...
06/29/2026

The 2026 World Cup has brought a soccer fervor to Massachusetts, and UMass historian Brian D. Bunk is meeting the moment with a new book on the history of soccer. The Shortest History of Soccer: From Ancient Kicking Games to the World's Most Popular Sport is an accessible, fast-paced tour through centuries of tradition that evolved into the game fans across the world know and love today.

Author and soccer historian Tom McCabe, co-host of the podcast An American Game, called the book “Lively, thematic, and sharply written. Brian Bunk’s latest is a match winner!”

Read an excerpt at the link in our bio.

Congratulations, Brian!

While researching Japanese imperialism, historian Garrett L. Washington discovered a gap: “in all of these studies, I c...
06/10/2026

While researching Japanese imperialism, historian Garrett L. Washington discovered a gap: “in all of these studies, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of women.”

His new project, “Faith in the Realm,” centers on elite laywomen involved in Christian and Buddhist organizations. Although these women were not ordained, Washington emphasizes that his work looks “beyond these auxiliary, supportive roles to reveal how they were leading, acting, and expressing themselves in relation to Japanese imperialism.”

This research brings together his scholarship and role as the history department’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by creating more inclusive historical narratives.

Learn more about Garrett’s work at the link in our bio.

Three members of the history department community were recognized by the 2026 HFA Awards for their contributions to the ...
06/05/2026

Three members of the history department community were recognized by the 2026 HFA Awards for their contributions to the department, research, and teaching. From education to public engagement to scholarship, all three awardees play essential roles in ensuring our students’ success and uplifting our department’s scholarship in the history field and beyond.

Congratulations to...
Daniel Gordon, College Outstanding Teacher Award
Jennifer Heuer, Dean’s Outstanding Fellow
Jess Johnson, HFA Outstanding Staff Award

UMass historian Heidi V. Scott has authored a new book, Mining Maps and Enlightenment in the Andes (Brill, 2026), on the...
06/02/2026

UMass historian Heidi V. Scott has authored a new book, Mining Maps and Enlightenment in the Andes (Brill, 2026), on the relationship between maps, the underground, and colonial thought. In this book, Scott uses eighteenth century Andean mining maps to reveal colonial understandings of the subterranean and the Spanish American Enlightenment. She examines often overlooked maps from the colonial Andes to tell stories of mining sites in late colonial Bolivia, Peru, Chile, and Ecuador.

Congratulations, Heidi!

historian Elizabeth Jacob was selected by the Center for Teaching and Learning as one of eight Lilly Fellows for Teachi...
05/19/2026

historian Elizabeth Jacob was selected by the Center for Teaching and Learning as one of eight Lilly Fellows for Teaching Excellence for the 2026-27 year. Jacob and her cohort of fellows will develop new courses and activities and share their expertise with the UMass community.

Read more at the link in our bio.

Congratulations, Elizabeth Jacob!

On Friday, seven MA students crossed the Mullins Center stage to receive their Master of Arts in history. Six of those g...
05/18/2026

On Friday, seven MA students crossed the Mullins Center stage to receive their Master of Arts in history. Six of those graduates, plus two PhD graduates from the Department of English completed a certificate in public history. We are so proud of all of you and your accomplishments!

MA Recipients:
Jillian Gochinski
Taylor Hayes
Laura McCullagh
Melina Olivas
Emma O’Neill-Dietel
Liliana Rodriguez
Nicholas Speranza

Public History Certificate Recipients:
Jillian Gochinski
Taylor Hayes
Stacie Klinowski
Laura McCullagh
Nicole O’Connell
Melina Olivas
Emma O’Neill-Dietel
Liliana Rodriguez

The list of 2026 award winners is here!Congratulations to all of the award recipients, thesis-writers, and graduates on ...
05/14/2026

The list of 2026 award winners is here!

Congratulations to all of the award recipients, thesis-writers, and graduates on your dedicated work this academic year.

View the full list of undergraduate and graduate awards using the link in our bio.

Thanks to our generous donors, the history department offers numerous scholarships that support experiential learning, including student research and travel, language study, and internships. Awards also offset students’ costs, champion first-generation students and future teachers, and reward students’ academic and community efforts, including exceptional teaching and writing.

Address

161 Herter Hall, UMass
Amherst, MA
01003

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when UMass Department of History posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to UMass Department of History:

Shortcuts

Share