Department of History

In the summer of 2018, 3,300 acres of the Olympic National Forest were set ablaze by poachers aiming to cut down maple trees. UW professors Daniel Hoffman and Lynn Thomas created a documentary, titled “The Maple Cutter,” about the incident — read writer Curran Nielsen’s interview with the filmmakers.

In honor of American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, deepen your learning in American Indian studies, make connections on campus, and celebrate the work of the University of Washington Seattle's College of Arts & Sciences faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Autumn Quarter: The Big Read: The New Education by Cathy Davidson The College of Arts & Sciences is launching its “Rethinking the Academy” initiative by inviting students, faculty, and staff to join a campus-wide reading experience, followed by conversations about how we can...

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Highlights of current and upcoming exhibitions:  October 27 – November 23 | Miha Sarani: Amends, Art Building The Jacob Lawrence Gallery is pleased to host Seattle artist Miha Sarani. This exhibition is a broad survey of Sarani’s work, focusing on portraiture while also...

"The level of support in the Philippines for Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. cannot be explained by social media disinformation or sheer coercion alone," writes Vincente Rafael, Professor in the Department of History.

Federalism, queer history, the impact of the Russian Revolution on Jewish communities, and the evolution of Filipinx American studies are among the subjects of recent and upcoming books by UW faculty.

Celebrate Pride Month and the history, progress and power of the LGBTQIA+ community through a collection of works by College of Arts & Sciences faculty, students and alumni.

Comparing Silicon Valley and Seattle has become something of a regional pastime in the Pacific Northwest. But the comparison might be more accurate if directed a few miles east, across the shores of Lake Washington to where Bellevue skyrises are multiplying. Because historically speaking, the rise of the Eastside closely mirrors the trajectory of Silicon Valley’s San Jose. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Professor Anand Yang grew up on Bollywood films. Now he uses this popular entertainment to teach colonial Indian history. 

Glennys Young, professor of history, explains Putin's goal in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the lengths he will go to achieve it.

Margaret O'Mara, professor of history, explains the historic echos of unionization at the Amazon Fresh store.

Thanks to a UW internship, students are contributing content about Black leaders in the sciences on BlackPast.org. 

Margaret O'Mara, professor of history, explains the importance of Microsoft's new
acquistiton of Activision Blizzard.

Margaret O'Mara, professor of history, explains her surprise
with the guilty verdict in the Holmes case and her biggest takeaways from
the verdict.

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month this September 15 through October 15 by exploring work by College of Arts & Sciences faculty, students and alumni.