A. Collections and Libraries

The SHAFR Archives include correspondence relating to the founding of the society, records of its business office, and materials relating to the publication of Diplomatic History. The Archives is housed in the Ohio State University Library & Archives in Columbus, OH.

B. Programs

SHAFR holds an annual meeting, usually in June, featuring some 75-80 sessions on all aspects of American foreign relations history, broadly defined, as well as various plenary sessions, roundtable panels, and keynote lectures on a variety of topics.

SHAFR is a member of the National Coalition for History and underwrites its efforts to represent academic historians in Washington, DC. SHAFR is an affiliate of the American Historical Association, sponsoring panels at its annual meeting.

The SHAFR website posts valuable information about the society, its governance, programs, prizes, and publications. It also contains links to other web sites of interest to researchers in the field. The Teaching Committee has posted valuable information (including syllabi) related to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in U.S. diplomatic history. More information on these programs is provided on the website.

C. Publications

The society publishes Diplomatic History, the journal of record in the field of U.S. foreign relations history, five times per year. It also publishes Passport: The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Review, three times per year. These two periodicals are provided to all members of the society and are available through subscriptions by libraries and individuals. Additionally, in 2018, the organization published the third, on-line edition of the SHAFR Guide, which provides an updated annotated guide to the literature on U.S. foreign relations and international history since 1600. Its some 2.1 million words makes it the premier source for those beginning research in this area. Access is provided free of charge to SHAFR members.

D. Fellowships and Awards

SHAFR offers members and others a variety of research fellowships and achievement prizes; full information is available at members.shafr.org/awards.

SHAFR offers a Marilyn B. Young Dissertation Completion Fellowship of $25,000 for advanced doctoral candidates nearing completion of their dissertations.

Among SHAFR’s fellowships are the following: The Michael J. Hogan Fellowship of up to $4,000 is awarded annually to a graduate student member of SHAFR to defray the costs of studying foreign languages needed for research. The W. Stull Holt Dissertation Fellowship of up to $4,000 is awarded annually to a doctoral candidate writing a dissertation in the field of the history of American foreign relations, to defray costs of travel. The Lawrence Gelfand-Armin Rappaport-Walter LaFeber Fellowship of $4,000 is awarded annually to defray the costs of dissertation research travel by a doctoral candidate in the field. Stuart L. Bernath Dissertation Grants of up to $4,000 are awarded annually to help doctoral students who are members of SHAFR defray expenses encountered in the writing of their dissertations. The Myrna F. Bernath Fellowship of up to $2,500 is awarded biannually (in odd years) to a woman doctoral candidate or recent PhD conducting research in the field. The Robert A. and Barbara Divine Graduate Student Travel Grant program subsidizes travel to the SHAFR annual meeting by selected graduate students who are presenting papers. Several Samuel Flagg Bemis Dissertation Research Grants and William Appleman Williams Junior Faculty Research Grants of $2,000 are also awarded annually.

SHAFR also offers the following achievement prizes: The Norman and Laura Graebner Award of $2,000, issued biannually (in even years), is a lifetime achievement award intended to recognize a senior historian of US foreign relations who has significantly contributed to the development of the field, through scholarship, teaching, and/or service, over his or her career. The Peter L. Hahn Distinguished Service Award recognizes career-long contributions to the growth and development of SHAFR. The Robert H. Ferrell Book Prize of $1,000 is awarded annually to the best book in the field (beyond the author’s first book). The Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize of $2,500 is awarded annually to the best first book on any aspect of the history of American foreign relations. The Michael H. Hunt Prize in International History of $1,500 is awarded to the best first book in international history utilizing records in more than one language. The Myrna F. Bernath Book Award of $2,500 is awarded biannually (in even years) to the author of the best book written by a woman in the field and published during the preceding two calendar years. The Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize of $1,000 is awarded annually to recognize excellence in teaching and research in the field of foreign relations by younger scholars. The Stuart L. Bernath Scholarly Article Prize of $1,000 is awarded annually to the author of a distinguished article appearing in a scholarly journal or edited book on any topic in U.S. foreign relations. The Betty M. Unterberger Dissertation Prize of $1,000 is awarded biannually (in odd years) to the best dissertation, completed during the previous two calendar years, on any topic in United States foreign relations history. The Oxford University Press USA Dissertation Prize in International History of $1,000 is awarded biannually (in even years) to recognize the best dissertation writing by a rising historian who has completed a research project defined as international history. The Anna K. Nelson prize for archival excellence recognizes an archivist whose work significantly contributes to the development of our field.