Department of History
The University of Houston
524 Agnes Arnold Hall
Houston, TX 77204-3003
(713) 743-3083
News
Dr. Young Publishes New Studies of World War II, U.S. Presidency
Dr. Nancy Beck Young recently published Why We Fight: Congress and the Politics of World War II with the University Press of Kansas. This book examines how moderates in Congress sided with liberals to make economic reforms from the New Deal permanent but worked with conservatives to thwart efforts for social justice reform during the World War II years. Young also reveals just how important moderates are to successful governance. The book shifts focus from a presidency-centered narrative of political history to a Congress-centered one, revising the literature of American political development at midcentury.Dr. Young's six volume Encyclopedia of the U.S. Presidency was also published recently with Facts on File, a leading publisher of reference material. Dr. Young was the editor for this project, the most comprehensive reference source available on the U.S. presidency. One volume contains thematic essays about various aspects of the presidency, including diplomacy, party politics, relations with the press, and relations with Congress among other topics. The remaining five volumes have lengthy chapters exploring the biographies and administrative histories of each of the nation's forty-four presidents along with a series of innovative essays defining major events and issues from each administration.
The Department of History Faculty congratulates Dr. Young on the publication of these important new works.
Dr. Milanesio Publishes Book on Consumer Culture in Argentina
Dr. Natalia Milanesio’s book, Workers Go Shopping in Argentina: The Rise of Popular Consumer Culture, was published by the University of New Mexico Press in February 2013.
Workers Go Shopping in Argentina shows the exceptional cultural and social visibility of low-income consumers in postwar Peronist Argentina along with their unprecedented economic and political influence. The book’s central premise is that working-class consumers shaped a new commercial ethos, transformed gender relations and social identities, and redefined the role of the state. Milanesio's book is praised as "a must read for all historians of modern Argentina and for anyone interested in consumption and consumerism throughout Latin America.”
The Department of History Faculty congratulates Dr. Milanesio on the publication of this important new work.
Spring 2013 Faculty & Graduate Student Research Colloquium Schedule Announced
The University of Houston History Department, in conjunction with the Zeta Kappa Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the International Honor Society in History, announces the schedule of the Faculty and Graduate Student Research Colloquium meetings for the Spring 2013 semester. Unless otherwise posted, all meetings will take place in Room 549 in Agnes Arnold Hall. All members of the UH community, as well as members of the general public, are invited to attend these sessions featuring the research of faculty and graduate students in history at the University of Houston.
The schedule is as follows:
Thursday, February 28:
3:00 - 4:30PM
Eric McDonald, “Call to Farms: Military Men in the Planter Elite of Seventeenth Century Barbados”
Dan LeClair, “Supervising a Revolution: The Ordnance Select Committee, Private Inventors, and Military Technology in 19th-Century England”
Thursday, March 28:
3:00 - 4:30PM
Charlotte Whatley, “Temporalities Be Taken: Edward III, John Grandisson, and
the Fight for the Benefices of Exeter”
Stephanie Weiss, “Secure Prosperity and Freedom: The Legacy of
Madame C. J. Walker through Children’s Literature”
ThursdayApril 25:
3:00 - 4:30PM
Dr. Kairn Klieman, “The Uses and Abuses of Race/Ethnicity: U.S. Oil Companies
and their Operations in Africa, 1950-1980”
Any questions concerning the Graduate Research Colloquium can be addressed to Dr. Bailey Stone, Phi Alpha Theta faculty advisor, at 713-743-3115, or at bstone@uh.edu.
Dr. Holt Earns Place on Notable Book Lists
Two books by Dr. Frank Holt have earned spots on notable book lists. Into the Land of Bones: Alexander the Great in Afghanistan (University of California Press, 2005; new ed. 2012) was named as one of the five best books on guerrilla insurgencies in an article published in the Wall Street Journal. His most recent book, Lost World of the Golden King: In Search of Ancient Afghanistan (University of California Press, 2012) was selected for "Books of the Year" for 2012 by the London Times Literary Supplement.
Dr. Holt is one of the world’s leading authorities on Alexander the Great, Hellenistic Asia, and new research methodologies such as Cognitive Numismatics.
The history department congratulates Dr. Holt on his most recent honors.
Dr. Melosi Publishes New Book on America in the Atomic Age
Dr. Martin Melosi's new book, Atomic Age America, was published by Pearson in November 2012.
Melosi's latest book explores the broad influence of atomic energy —focusing particularly on nuclear weapons and nuclear power—on the lives of Americans within a world context. Atomic Age America examines the social, political, diplomatic, environmental, and technical impacts of atomic energy on the 20th and 21st centuries, with a look back to the origins of atomic theory.The Department of History Faculty congratulates Dr. Melosi on the publication of this important new work.
Dr. Holt Honored for Teaching and Research by International Association
Dr. Frank Holt was honored by the international Pan-Macedonian Association and the Houston Greek community for his career of teaching and publication. The Association presented the award on October 27 at a Greek ceremony hosted by Kostas Hatzistefanidis, Supreme President of the Pan-Macedonian Association USA, and Peter Peropoulos, President of the Greater Houston chapter.
The Pan-Macedonian Association and its USA affiliates in Houston and other cities promote education about Macedonian history and culture.
Dr. Holt is one of the world’s leading authorities on Alexander the Great, Hellenistic Asia, and new research methodologies such as Cognitive Numismatics. He has published seven books and over sixty journal articles. His most recent book, Lost World of the Golden King: In Search of Ancient Afghanistan, was published by the University of California Press in October 2012.
The history department congratulates Dr. Holt on this latest accomplishment.
Food for Thought Presents Gustavo Arrellano, November 15
Gustavo Arrellano, best-selling author and popular syndicated columnist (“Ask a Mexican!”) will discuss his new book Taco, USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America as part of the Food For Thought Speaker series on Thursday, November 15 at 5:00 pm in Roy G. Cullen Building, Room 104. A book signing will follow the event.
Arellano’s new book details why the U.S. loves all things folded in a tortilla, how salsa overtook ketchup as the country’s favorite condiment in the 1990s, how nachos became the third-largest concession food after popcorn and soda, and how the U.S. is the world’s largest consumer of tequila. He addresses what constitutes “Mexican” food in the U.S. – what is “authentic” and what’s “Taco Bell,” and why does it matter?
Food for Thought is a speaker series promoting the scholarly study of food. Presenters highlight the latest research on the multiple ways food shapes business and economy, nutrition and health, the environment, and social relations. The goal of the series is to encourage cross-disciplinary dialogue and interdisciplinary collaboration through the examination of the food that sustains the cultural, economic, and physical lives of our diverse communities.
The lecture is sponsored by the El Paso Corporation Lecture Series, the Center for Public History, the Department of History, the Center for Mexican American Studies and Latin American Studies. The talk is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Welcome Center Parking Garage located on Calhoun Drive near Entrance 1.
A campus map and directions can be found at: http://www.uh.edu/maps/#map-directions
For more information, contact Todd Romero at tromero2@uh.edu or Monica Perales at mperales3@uh.edu.
History Department Announces Fall 2012 Graduate Research Colloquium
The University of Houston History Department, in conjunction with the Zeta Kappa Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the International Honor Society in History, announces the schedule of Graduate Research Colloquium meetings for the Fall 2012 semester. Unless otherwise posted, all meetings will take place in Room 520 in Agnes Arnold Hall on the UH Central Campus on Thursday afternoons between 3 and 4:30 pm. All members of the UH community, as well as members of the general public, are invited to attend these sessions featuring the research of some of the most advanced graduate students in history at the University of Houston.
The schedule is as follows:
September 27:
Anna Marie Anderson, “Jewish Women in the Holocaust: Resistance in the Concentration Camps of Ravensbruck and Auschwitz”
Faculty Commentator: Dr. Sarah Fishman
Andrew Joseph Pegoda, “An Epic Work of Art and Controversy: How D. W. Griffith’s ‘The Birth of a Nation’ Set the Standard for US Cinema”
Faculty Commentator: Dr. Linda Reed
October 25:
Dan LeClair, “The Boxer Fuse, the Shrapnel Shell, and the Invention of Modern Warfare”
Faculty Commentator: Dr. Karl Ittmann
November 29:
Caroline Nilsen, “No Norwegian for Sale’? Evaluating Resistance Activities in Nazi-Occupied Norway”
Faculty Commentator: Dr. Hannah Decker
Any questions concerning the Graduate Research Colloquium can be addressed to Dr. Bailey Stone, Phi Alpha Theta faculty advisor, at 713—743-3115, or at bstone@uh.edu.
Dr. Holt Publishes New Book on Ancient Afghanistan
Dr. Frank Holt's new book, Lost World of the Golden King: In Search of Ancient Afghanistan, will be released by the University of California Press in October 2012.
Holt's latest book draws on historical writings and newly unearthed archaeological evidence to rediscover the ancient civilization of Bactria. According to the press website, "In a gripping narrative informed by the author’s deep knowledge of his subject, this book covers two centuries of Bactria’s history, from its colonization by remnants of Alexander the Great’s army to the kingdom’s collapse at the time of a devastating series of nomadic invasions. Beginning with the few tantalizing traces left behind when the ‘empire of a thousand cities’ vanished, Holt takes up that trail and follows the remarkable and sometimes perilous journey of rediscovery."The Department of History Faculty congratulates Dr. Holt on the publication of this important new work.
Dr. Romero Wins UH Teaching Excellence Award
Dr. Todd Romero was recently named a 2011-2012 recipient of a University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award. The Teaching Excellence Awards are the highest form of recognition for teaching at the University of Houston, and reflect the University’s continuing commitment to excellence in teaching. Dr. Romero was recognized for excellence in teaching University Undergraduate Core Curriculum courses. His nominating letter declared, “Teaching by example, Romero models for students how to live the life of the mind. He engages students with penetrating and provocative questions related to both the historiography of the topics being taught and the original sources that can be used to study a past that is often all too remote. . . . [H]is lectures to the large survey courses are dynamic and interactive while his small seminars—undergraduate and graduate—build from sophisticated conversations about texts and sources read in common.”
The award will be presented at a ceremony on April 26, 2012 at the Hilton on the University of Houston Campus.
Dr. Romero teaches the first half of the American history survey as well as undergraduate and graduate courses on colonial American, Native American, Atlantic world, and public history.
The Department of History Faculty congratulates Dr. Romero for this accomplishment.