Department of History

The Department of History explores the past, seeking to understand how people have made the world, live in it, and seek change. We also examine what people do with memories and stories of the past, examining ideas of heritage, values and identities in our complex and diverse social, political, economic and cultural worlds.

Major & Minor Courses

Why does studying LGBT history matter?

In an era of "don't say gay" laws, Dr. Pippa Holloway, chair of the University of Richmond's Department of History, believes in the relevance and importance of teaching LGBT history to students for what they learn about courts, the Constitution, civil rights, and America as a whole.

Announcements:

You can now find The History Department on Instagram. Follow @urhistory__ (two underscores) to learn more about events, classes, and additional announcements!

Faculty Highlights

Brandenberger appointed

David Brandenberger, professor of history and global studies, was appointed Samuel Chiles Mitchell-Jacob Billikopf Professor of History and Global Studies.

Kahn wins Waterloo Centre for German Studies Book Prize

Michelle Kahn, associate professor of history, won the Waterloo Centre for German Studies Book Prize for her book Foreign in Two Homelands: Racism, Return Migration, and Turkish-German History.

Holloway testifies as expert witness in disfranchisement case

Pippa Holloway, Cornerstones Chair in History, testified as an expert witness in a special three judge panel trial court in the Shelby County (Tennessee) Circuit Court. The case, Moses v. Goins et al., challenges a law that permanently disfranchises Tennessee citizens following a felony conviction. Holloway presented historical testimony that included a historical analysis of the Free and Equal Elections clause of the Tennessee Constitution, which requires conviction by a jury before a person otherwise entitled to vote could be denied suffrage on the basis of a criminal conviction.

McCommons publishes on the Black Appalachian Commission

Jillean McCommons, assistant professor of history and Africana studies, published "From Their Double Minority Position": Black Women's Leadership, Black Feminist Thought, and the Black Appalachian Commission, 1969-1975" in the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society.