Recent News

The students, faculty, and alumni of the Department of History are active both as scholars and as public intellectuals. Explore these achievements to learn more about our community. 

  • Shuko Tamao Defends PhD Dissertation
    4/30/20
    Doctoral Candidate Shuko Tamao successfully defended her PhD dissertation, "Memories of Asylums: A Narrative Examination of Postwar State Hospital Experiences," on April 27, 2020. Congratulations, Shuko!
  • NPS Interviews Dr. Sarah Handley-Cousins
    4/22/20
    On April 20, 2020 Dr. Sarah Handley-Cousins was interviewed by the National Parks Service for their Ranger Chat series. Dr. Handley-Cousins discussed the challenges faced by disabled veterans navigating through the Reconstruction era Federal bureaucracy. Check out the interview here.
  • Doctoral Student Ashley Morin Wins Award
    4/16/20
    UB History doctoral student Ashley Morin received the Keith F. Otterbein Award for War and Peace Studies to support her research in Belfast on the Troubles. Congratulations, Ashley!
  • Prof. Stapleton's First Book Translated into Chinese
    4/15/20
    Prof. Kristin Stapleton’s book Civilizing Chengdu: Chinese Urban Reform, 1895-1937 (Harvard Asia Center, 2000) has been published in Chinese translation this week (April 12th)  by the Sichuan Literature and Arts Press. 
  • Roger Des Forges Publishes New Book
    4/15/20
    Emeritus Professor Roger Des Forges’s book, The Mythistorical Chinese Scholar-Rebel-Advisor Li Yan: A Global Perspective, 1606-2018 (Brill), examines the puzzle of Li Yan, a Chinese scholar who advised the rebel Li Zicheng (1605-1645), and helped him to overthrow the Ming, only to die at his hands. For more than three centuries, Li Yan’s identity and even existence were seriously questioned. Then, in 2004, there was discovered a genealogical manuscript which includes a Li Yan (1606-1644). He now appears to be the principal historical reality behind the Li Yan story, which became a powerful metaphor for the rise and fall of Li Zicheng’s rebellion. 
  • Alum Bob Plumb Publishes Book
    4/13/20
    History alum Bob Plumb, '64, published The Better Angels: Five Women Who Changed Civil War America on March 1st, with the University of Nebraska Press/Potomac Books. Plumb's book explores how five women from diverse backgrounds came to display courage, truth, and patriotism during the American Civil War era. Congratulations, Bob Plumb!
  • Prof. Seeman Wins OAH Book Prize
    4/6/20
    Prof. Erik Seeman's book, Speaking with the Dead in Early America, won the 2020 Lawrence W. Levine Award from the Organization of American Historians, for the best book in American cultural history. Congratulations, Prof. Seeman!
  • Prof. Thornton Appointed to Board of PAT
    4/6/20
    Prof. Tamara Thornton has been appointed a Council Member of the National Board of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honors Society. Congratulations, Prof. Thornton!
  • Elizabeth Masarik Defends PhD Dissertation
    3/30/20
    Congratulations to Elizabeth Masarik who successfully defended her PhD dissertation, "Out of the Realm of Sentiment: Infant Mortality, Single Mothers, and the Formation of the Welfare State, 1883-1927" on March 27th!
  • Maria Daxenbichler Defends PhD Dissertation
    3/30/20
    Congratulations to Maria Daxenbichler who successfully defender her PhD dissertation, "Knowing the Uterus: The Role of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Abortion in the Professionalization of American Medicine, 1880-1920" on March 11, 2020!