University of Montana History Department

09/27/2026

The countdown continues for Regents Prof Anya Jabour 's new book, MATTERS OF S*X: KATHARINE BEMENT DAVIS AND AMERICA'S FIRST S*XUAL REVOLUTION (NYU Press, 2026). Learn more in this piece for the public-facing online publication, !

In 1917, when Dr. Katharine Bement Davis accepted philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s invitation to lead the Bureau of Social Hygiene (BSH), an organization dedicated to combating s*x work and…

09/23/2026

The countdown continues for Regents Professor Anya Jabour 's MATTERS OF S*X: KATHARINE BEMENT DAVIS AND AMERICA'S FIRST S*XUAL REVOLUTION, coming from NYU Press on Nov. 10! As the first superintendent of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility (then Bedford Female Reformatory), and as a feminist activist committed to combating the s*xual double standard as well as promoting women's voting rights, Davis had opinions about s*x work policy! Her thoughts more than 100 years ago are still relevant today. Learn more below and pre-order the book now! *xwork *x *x https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/08/12/claims-protecting-s*x-workers-have-long-been-used-punish-them/ *xuality

Criminalization hurts s*x workers instead of helping them.

09/19/2026

The countdown is on for the Nov. 10 release of Regents Professor Anya Jabour 's new book, MATTERS OF S*X: KATHARINE BEMENT DAVIS AND AMERICA'S FIRST S*XUAL REVOLUTION (NYU Press, 2026). Before Davis wrote her revelatory study of "normal" women's s*xuality in 1929, she first studied the female offenders--many of them s*x workers--at Bedford Female Reformatory. Learn more about that phase of her life here! *x *x *xuality

In 1912, journalist Ida Tarbell wrote an admiring article about Katharine Bement Davis, the first superintendent of New York’s Reformatory for Women at Bedford Hills (commonly known as Bedford Reformatory). In keeping with the aims of women’s reformatories, Tarbell explained, Davis had made Bedf...

09/15/2026

As part of the national weekend of public history, our Public History Program director Leif Fredrickson is giving a historical walking tour of the university campus! Students in our "Doing Local History" class researched and wrote the tour, which is now administered by Unseen Missoula. The tour is FREE! Register and find more information here: https://www.missouladowntown.com/event/unseen-missoula-historic-campus-tour-4/

College of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Montana University of Montana The University of Montana Graduate School Missoula Downtown Downtown Missoula

09/11/2026

In 1982, our readers voted “Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome” by Joseph Kinsey Howard the best book about the state.

In 2002, the poll winner was Ivan Doig’s “This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind.”

Are either of these books on your list? Be sure to make your voice heard by clicking the link in the comments and taking our updated Best Books poll! Submissions due by October 1.



Humanities Montana

08/07/2026

Check out UM History Professor Claire Arcenas's latest review essay, "Was America supposed to Be a Democracy?," in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/books/review/the-lost-founder-jesse-wegman-the-fall-of-republics-thomas-f-madden.html College of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Montana

A pair of new books look back at the fear, anxiety and optimism that shaped the founding of the United States.

08/06/2026

We're thrilled to see this book launch event for Nicholas C.P. Vrooman's "'The Whole Country was... 'One Robe'": The Little Shell Tribe's America. Nicholas earned his PhD from the University of Montana History Department in 2010. The University of Montana Graduate School

06/19/2026

The UMontana History Department's Spring 2026 newsletter is live! Check out all of the great happenings here: https://montana.imodules.com/controls/email_marketing/view_in_browser.aspx?sid=1731&gid=2&sendId=6708227&ecatid=69&puid=6c7cc01d-2968-40ab-8c67-20dd92b59c9d College of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Montana The University of Montana Graduate School

The History Department honored its 2026 graduates—including six new history MA graduates—with a reception featuring remarks by , the History Department’s Outstanding Student for 2026, and retiring faculty member Tobin Miller Shearer. 

05/22/2026

Congratulations to MA candidate Emma Siewert! Her essay, "'The Man of Men': Representations of Toussaint Louverture in American Abolitionist Literature, 1791-1861," received Best Graduate Paper Prize at the recent 2026 Northwest Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of MontanaThe University of Montana Graduate School University of Montana

05/14/2026

Congratulations to the UMontana History Class of 2026! A few pictures from last week's History Department reception for graduates and friends: