Memphis Historians

08/26/2026

The buzz continues for Dr. Susan O'Donovan's new book: Moving Toward Freedom: The Political Education of Enslaved Americans. Dr. O'Donovan was recently featured on WPYL's "Book Talk" series. Part I is now available!

Dr. Susan Eva O’Donovan is an associate professor of history at The University of Memphis. Her previous works include, Becoming Free in the Cotton South and Remembering the Memphis Massacre: An American Story with Beverly Bond. Today we’ll begin our two-part discussion her newest book, Moving To...

08/17/2026

08/17/2026

Check out Dr. Aram Goudsouzian's interview with Dr. Susan O'Donovan for Chapter 16 about her new book, Moving Toward Freedom: The Political Education of Enslaved Americans (Penguin, August 2026).

Congratulations, Dr. O'Donovan! 🎉

When we think of American slavery, we tend to think of plantations, with Black people bound to those lands. But as Susan O’Donovan illustrates in the groundb…

06/18/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Dennis Laumann, who was recently named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for Grenada from 2026-2027. 🎉🎉🎉

Through the Fulbright award, Dr. Laumann will teach at T.A. Marryshow Community College (TAMCC) from January to July 2027, along with leading workshops, fostering connections between TAMCC and the University of Memphis, and giving public lectures in Grenada.

Dr. Dennis Laumann, professor in the Department of History, has been named a 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Scholar for Granada where he will be teaching at T.A. Marryshow Community College (TAMCC) from January to July 2027 where he will teach classes, lead workshops for teachers and students, and deliver p...

05/14/2026

Please check out our spring edition of History Happenings, the department newsletter😄:https://www.memphis.edu/history/newsletter/pdfs/historyhappenings_spring2026.pdf

A big thanks to everyone who contributed to the issue!

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05/09/2026

A message from Professor Daniel Unowsky, Chair of the Department of History.

Dear Graduating History Students:

On behalf of our entire faculty and staff, congratulations!

I hope you and your families take this as a moment to celebrate what you have accomplished, to reflect on all you have done and experienced. At the same time, this is of course a new beginning, the commencement of the next stage in your life. Whatever you do and wherever you go from here, you will take with you what we have learned together: not only your knowledge of the complexity of human experience in the context of the past and how the past has shaped our present, but also the realization that the past will influence, though not determine, the future. You have a say in what happens. You, as a life-long student of history, have a role to play in shaping that future. Knowing this gives me great confidence and optimism.

I have taught at the University of Memphis for more than a quarter of a century. I continue to be energized and excited to learn with each class of students. I thank you for this, and I hope you will think of us as you move forward. Send us a line now and then. Let us know about your achievements and how your degree in history informs your path beyond U of M. Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/memphis.historians/); follow us on Instagram (uofm_history). And remember: HISTORY MATTERS!

03/23/2026

Please join us this Thursday, 3/26, in the UC Fountain View Room for the Women’s History Month Lecture, given by our own Dr. Selina Makana! The reception begins at 3:30, and the lecture will start at 4pm. Dr. Makana’s talk is titled: “Thirty Years On: Mapping Transnational Feminist Engagements Since the Fourth World Conference on Women.” ✨✨✨

02/19/2026

Check out the guest column in The Daily Memphian by Dr. Amanda Gaggioli and Dr. Benjamin Graham: “Memphis, are you still thinking about the Roman Empire (and Yellow Fever)?”

“Historian Kyle Harper is coming to the University of Memphis to ask a chilling question: Are we, like the Romans, on the cusp of societal collapse — or even mass extinction?”

02/18/2026

Upcoming event reminder! ✨✨✨

Please join us for the Memphis Sesquicentennial Lecture on Thursday, February 26. This year’s guest speaker is Dr. Kyle Harper.

Dr. Kyle Harper is the G.T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty, Professor of Classics and Letters, Senior Advisor to the President, and Provost Emeritus at his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma.

The event is free and open to the public and is jointly sponsored by the History Department and the Marcus W. Orr Center for the Humanities. There will be a reception at 5:30PM in the River Room of the Maxine Smith University Center.