Department of History

Christopher Tounsel, associate professor of history at the University of Washington, found multiple connections between Sudan and Seattle while researching his upcoming book. The most prominent was the late Andrew Brimmer, a UW alum who in 1966 became the first Black member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Ever wonder what the world would be like without planes, computer software and online shopping? Thanks to progressive Seattle innovators and change-makers, the world is a much better place to live, work and play. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

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Start the new year with lectures, performances, and more.

Start the new year with lectures, performances, and more.

"Americans spend more than half a billion dollars annually on 150 million units of imported Christmas lights. U.S. News & World Report ranks the best Christmas light displays. And ABC’s reality TV show “The Great Christmas Light Fight” recently premiered its 10th season. Christmas lights, in short, are not only ubiquitous but also central to American culture. But that has not always been the case. The man credited with popularizing Christmas lights in the early 20th century, Albert Sadacca, had never celebrated Christmas. In fact, he was a Jew from the Muslim world," writes Devin Naar, associate professor of history and Jewish studies at the UW.

Dean Harris describes how Elizabeth Gordon, editor of House Beautiful, one of the premier home design magazines of the postwar period, espoused the style we now call midcentury modernism as a gentler alternative to the often harsher styles of prewar Europe. Dean Dianne Harris' writing is mentioned.

Start the new year with lectures, performances, exhibitions and more.

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.