AHA Directory of History Departments and Organizations
Institution Details
Bloomington, IN 47408-4141
Phone: 812.855.7311
Email: oah@oah.org
Website: https://www.oah.org/
AHA Affiliated Society
Founded in 1907, the Organization of American Historians (OAH) is the largest professional organization dedicated to the history of the United States. The mission of the organization is to promote excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and presentation of American history, and to encourage wide discussion of historical questions and the equitable treatment of all practitioners of history. The OAH believes that history is essential for knowing and understanding the world and stands for the ethical and accurate use of history in civic discourse.
The OAH represents more than 5,500 historians working in the United States and abroad. Members include college and university professors, pre-collegiate history teachers, public historians, museum professionals, librarians and archivists, students, and a variety of historians working in government and the private sector. The OAH supports original, peer-reviewed, and rigorous scholarship, as well as the presentation of historical scholarship and knowledge in non-scholarly formats including a magazine, blog, and podcast. The OAH publishes the Journal of American History which is as a journal of record in the field, undertakes a wide range of public-history projects with the National Park Service and private partners, convenes an annual conference, and maintains a robust schedule of academic and public programming.
Areas of Specialization: United States
Areas of Specialization: United States
A. Collections and Libraries
The Archives of the OAH is located at the Ruth Lilly Library at Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI).
B. Programs
The OAH undertakes a variety of projects and programming throughout the year including in-person and online lectures, panels and webinars. Each spring, the organization convenes the OAH Conference on American History, the largest national annual U.S. history conference, that includes a program of panels, workshops, roundtable discussions and other sessions and events for U.S. history specialists and educators.
For over 30 years the Organization of American Historians has partnered with the National Park Service to bring leading scholarship to bear on the presentation of history at our national parks. Through the OAH-NPS collaboration, OAH members undertake sponsored research. OAH-NPS projects include scholars’ review visits to national park sites, administrative histories, historic resource studies, national landmark theme studies, peer review of interpretive material, curriculum development, and conferences and seminars.
The OAH’s International Residency Program supports opportunities for scholars of American history to collaborate and conduct research in diverse global settings, fostering cross-cultural connections and enriching the understanding of American history within an international context. Current international exchange programs include the Japan Residency Program and the Germany Residency Program in American History, supported through funding from the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission and the Thyssen Foundation, respectively.
The OAH Lectureship Program connects a cohort of leading historians with institutions and organizations seeking leading historians to can share their expertise through in person and virtual lectures and other speaking events, including keynote addresses, book talks, lecture series, workshops, professional development sessions, panel discussions, and as featured speakers at historical commemorations, and special community events.
The OAH undertakes advocacy on behalf of the profession that includes advocacy statements, amicus briefs, toolkits and best practice guidance, and special projects including the History, Archives, and Records Preservation Project (HARPP).
The OAH is governed by an Executive Board of 15 voting members, and supports a variety of service committees that support organizational efforts around issues impacting the profession and other topics that fall under the organization’s mission.
The OAH has delegates and representatives with the Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation, American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The Organization is a member of the National Humanities Alliance.
C. Publications
The OAH publishes the Journal of American History,a journal of record in the field. Appearing quarterly since 1914, first as the Mississippi Valley Historical Review (1914-64) and then as the Journal of American History (1964-present), in addition to scholarly articles and book reviews, the Journal also features digital history, film, and exhibition reviews.
The OAH publishes the quarterly magazine,The American Historian, Process: A Blog for American History, and the JAH Podcast.
D. Fellowships and Awards
The OAH sponsors or cosponsors awards and prizes in recognition of scholarly and professional achievement in the fields of U.S. history. Among OAH’s annual awards are the Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award, the Friend of History Award, the Award for Contributions to Public Policy, the Tachau Teacher of the Year Award, and the Stanton-Horton Award for Excellence in National Park Service History. The OAH awards prizes and grants specifically to graduate students, including the Louis Pelzer Memorial Award for the best essay in American history by a graduate student, dissertation awards in the fields of African American, women's, and LGBTQ+ history, and the John Higham Research Fellowship to provide research funds for a graduate student writing a doctoral dissertation in American history. A full listing of awards and prizes is available on the OAH website.
Doctoral Program Information
Not applicable
Directory of History Dissertations
Doctoral Program Statistics :
PhD students currently enrolled: 0
PhD applications received: 0
New PhD students: 0
% of students receiving tuition waivers: 0
% of students receiving stipends: 0
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