Announcements

The Quaker and Special Collections at Haverford College will close in December 2017 due to a building renovation project that will begin in February 2018 and last approximately fourteen months. The project will include a complete renovation of Quaker and Special Collections spaces. During that time, the collections will be inaccessible. We will make a further announcement about reopening dates as the plans develop. For those anticipating a need to use the collection, we encourage visits before December of 2017. Please contact us with questions and concerns at hc-special@haverford.edu.

Historians Against Slavery is a community of scholar-activists who contribute research and historical context to today’s antislavery movements in order to inspire and inform activism and to develop collaborations that empower such efforts. Our agreed-upon definition of slavery is when people are forced to work against their will for the profit of others. Our motto is “Using History to Make Slavery History.” HAS was founded by James Brewer Stewart in January 2011.

HAS also maintains a Speakers’ Bureau providing high-quality lecturers prepared to connect the history of slavery and abolition to these same issues today. They are prepared to address college campuses, student-run conferences, and teacher seminars. They are also available for general audiences at public events sponsored by historical societies, museums, libraries, and humanities councils. HAS speakers designate their lecture fees as donations to HAS to further its work. The host institution pays the lecture fee directly to HAS and agrees to reimburse the speaker’s travel and lodging expenses promptly, if travel costs cannot be charged directly to the host. To book a speaker, discuss the lecture fees, and/or ask questions, contact Mathew Mason, matthew_mason@byu.edu, 801-422-3408. For general information: Historians Against Slavery, Dept. of History, Macalester College, 1600 Grand Ave., Saint Paul, MN 55105; http://www.historiansagainstslavery.org

Conference: Religion and Politics in Early America (Beginnings to 1820), St. Louis, March 1–4, 2018. This conference will explore the intersections between religion and politics in early America from precontact through the early republic. We define the terms “religion” and “politics” broadly, including (for example) studies of secularity and doubt. This conference will have a broad temporal, geographic, and topical expanse. We intend to create a space for interdisciplinary conversation. For more information email Abram Van Engen at religion.politics.2018@gmail.com.

Cambridge University Press announces a new journal, Modern American History (MAH). Executive editors are Brooke L. Blower and Sarah T. Phillips of Boston University. The inaugural issue is scheduled for 2018. MAH showcases top-quality, emerging research on the history of the United States since the 1890s. Establishing a long-overdue meeting place for scholars and practitioners working in this vibrant and expansive field, MAH aims to stimulate debate, make meaningful connections between subspecialties, and advance understanding about an era of continuing impact. For more information contact the editors at mahist@bu.edu and the website at www.cambridge.org/mah.

The Immigration History Research Center and the Immigration and Ethnic History Society announce the Immigration Syllabus, containing essential topics, readings, and multimedia that provide historical context to current debates over immigration reform, integration, and citizenship. The syllabus is managed by the University of Minnesota Libraries. Learn more at www.immigrationsyllabus.umn.edu. Also, the center produces Immigrant Stories, helping immigrants and refugees create digital stories—short personal videos with images, text, and audio. We share and preserve them for future generations through the Immigration History Research Center Archives, the Minnesota Digital Library, and the Digital Public Library of America. The website www.Immigrantstories.umn.edu helps users create and share their own digital story. It is free and easy to use, and includes everything you need to write, record, edit, and create your story. For teachers and students, stories can be also watched from the Immigrant Stories collection.

Last March the Pennsylvania Humanities Council announced the launch of the Chester Made Exploration Zone, a creative, cultural space that gives community members the chance to engage with one another, learn more about the city’s cultural assets and history, rebuild their downtown, and change perceptions about Chester...