Department of History

"Black History Month is a chance to recognize that Black history is American history. It’s an important time to reflect on the ways in which Black people, their stories and their impact have so often been elided and erased from our shared understanding of ourselves as a nation and a people," writes UW President Ana Mari Cauce.

UW theater student Jarrett Johnson is among an entire class of emerging theater artists — fresh from drama programs, hustling between part-time jobs and busy audition schedules, or about to make their big breaks — whose careers have been stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The UW's Odai Johnson, professor of theater history, and Stefka Mihaylova, assistant professor of theater theory and criticism, are quoted.

Dig a little, and Seattle’s scrubby past inevitably pops up. We might be all high-tech now, all digital wizards, but back there are the city’s ancestors. They could be rough. Really rough. John Findlay, professor emeritus of history at the UW, is referenced.

After months of deserted streets and shuttered storefronts, the businesses, institutions and individuals that depend on downtown Seattle are desperate to see it come back to life, but have little certainty whether or when it can regain its earlier vitality. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Science Friday producer Christie Taylor talks to legal scholar Veena Dubal, and Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, about a rise in union activity, and the way tech companies have impacted our lives — not just for their customers, but also for their workers.

Margaret O’Mara, professor of history at the UW, says too much screen time in the COVID-19 era may have led to the proliferation of conspiracy theories, especially among “QAnon yoga moms.” [This clip teases a later story in which O’Mara is not interviewed]

Anand Yang, professor of history, and Patricia Shehan Campbell, professor of music education and ethnomusicology, have both authored new books.

Google, Facebook and others promise more flexibility to work from home. But they’re charging ahead with plans for more offices. Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history and the founder of Blackpast.org, discusses the life and legacy of Horace Clayton and his wife, Susie Revels.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was the top American philanthropist in 2020, giving away $10.1 billion to nonprofit efforts associated with climate change and education, according to a ranking released this week by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Bezos, ranked second on the list with donations to a wide array of non-profits that totaled $5.7 billion. The UW's Ed Lazowska, professor of computer science and engineering, and Margaret O'Mara, professor of history, are quoted.

“If history is any guide, the next act of Jeff Bezos, the man who turned a crazy-at-the-time idea to sell books over the internet into a $1.67 trillion behemoth, could be more consequential than the last,” writes Margaret O'Mara, professor of history at the UW.

Devin Naar, professor of history and Jewish studies, Melia Watras, professor of music, and Ted Poor, assistant professor of drums, have all received honors for their work recently.

This week at the UW, attend a book launch for "Union by Law," the Critical Issues Lecture Series, and more.

Students share their experience with the ART 496 museum guide program, a year-long paid internship at the Henry Art Gallery.

As is the case around the world, COVID-19 has had a particularly devastating impact on Kenya's women and girls. Domestic violence is on the upswing, teenage pregnancy rates are rising, early child marriage is increasing, and now, the ripple effects of the pandemic are causing a resurgence in female circumcision. Lynn Thomas, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.