New NEH Grant Program: Rediscovering Our Revolutionary Tradition  

A new grant program from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Rediscovering Our Revolutionary Tradition, honors the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s principles of equality, liberty, and government by consent. The program supports activities to preserve and improve access to primary source materials that document: 

1) The history of American independence and the establishment and/or expansion of the nation. Projects will include the experiences of states, territories, and communities—in the original colonies and beyond—in joining the nation. Or: 

2) The history of U.S. government—from federal to local, from federal and state constitutions to governors’ papers and court records. 

Projects may work with collections that include archival records; documents and rare publications; art and material culture; and photographs and sound recordings. Supported activities include conservation treatment and rehousing, digitization and description, transcription and translation, and updating existing digital resources to ensure long-term public availability. 

 

Application deadlines: September 4, 2025, and January 15, 2026 

Maximum funding: $350,000 (individual institutions); $750,000 (consortia) 

More information: https://www.neh.gov/program/rediscovering-our-revolutionary-tradition 

 

Questions? To arrange a phone consultation, please email preservation@neh.gov or call 202-606-8570. 

ACE Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship: The Fallout of Fallout – Documenting and Contextualizing the Downwinders Experience in rural Nevada and Utah

During this one-year Fellowship program, one Mellon Humanities Fellow will research, document, contextualize, and interpret the first-hand experiences of area residents who lived through a decade (1951-1962) of above-ground nuclear tests that blanketed the region in radioactive fallout. The project gives voice to communities impacted by this first phase of the Cold War through recording and sharing of oral histories, while also analyzing what influence these events still have on the region decades later. By placing these events in the context of American history, the Fellow’s scholarship will enable the heritage areas to appropriately and accurately interpret the region’s significance in an important chapter of our history.

This opportunity is generously supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation through American Conservation Experience (ACE).  

Employer: American Conservation Experience (ACE) 

Location: Eligible for remote/telework flexibility with significant travel for research and interviews in eastern Nevada and southwestern Utah. The Fellow is expected to reside within Great Basin National Heritage Area or Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area or along the I-15 corridor between Salt Lake City, UT and Las Vegas, NV. Cedar City, Utah (cedarcity.org) is the town most central to the study area. 

Term: Position is fully funded through August 31, 2026.

Start Date: Late August 2025, exact date negotiable.

Salary & Benefits:

Compensation: Annualized salary $70,304 for Year (40 hours/week for 52-weeks). Paid bi-weekly, a two-week pay period. 

Medical/Health Benefits: ACE offers competitive medical and ancillary plans (health, mental health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, and other supplemental benefits). Fellows are also eligible to participate in ACE's 403b retirement plan, which includes a 1% employer contribution for participating, contributing staff.

Holidays, Vacation, and Sick Time: As a Fellow, you will be eligible to accrue up to 80 hours of paid vacation time during your year of continuous employment. Additionally, ACE observes 13 paid annual holidays and provides 10 days (or 80 hours) of paid sick time annually.

Additional Benefits: Outdoor Perks - As an ACE Fellow, you will be eligible to receive pro deals which include deep discounts on outdoor gear providing 30 - 50% off retail prices on 100s of established outdoor gear brands.

To Apply: Please submit here: 1) a cover letter stating interest and vision for the fellowship (letters may include a summary of the dissertation, a statement of personal research interests and plans, discussion of past engagement with public humanities, discussion of willingness to participate fully in NHA research and education programs); 2) comprehensive curriculum vitae; 3) writing sample accessible to the general public; 4) confirmation of Ph.D. award by August 31, 2025; and 5) names and contact information for 3 professional references. 

Deadline to apply: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but no later than July 21, 2025.

Every time I return from the Western History Association’s annual meeting, I feel rejuvenated. WHA is one of the most welcoming and convivial communities for graduate students, and I’ve been fortunate to call it one of my intellectual homes for six years now. The friends and mentors I’ve been fortunate enough to make here and see each year make being a graduate student so much more joyful and sustainable. The Kansas City conference was no exception.

WHA is also a place where it’s easy for graduate students to make new friends to share our intellectual journeys with. I was excited to join a panel with Abby Gibson and USC and Saffron Sener from Harvard to discuss our work on the haunted West, specifically the haunted Native West. With the happy coincidence that WHA meets in October, we not only wanted to share our work, but make it fun, seasonal, and thought-provoking ahead of Halloween. Plus, what fun would it be to be a space historian if I didn’t get a chance to do some history of ufology before focusing on my dissertation? It was a chance for me to practice my historical storytelling skills, something my advisor puts a premium on, while also raising critical questions with the panel. How did ghost stories set in the West about Native Americans or appropriated from Native American traditional stories—shared around campfires at summer camp, circulated in newspapers, and even enshrined onto place names on maps—serve to promote American innocence in settler colonialism while also furthering the dispossession of Native lands?

Though I’m in Oregon now, I did my MA in Utah, which is no stranger to hauntings or aliens. The supposedly haunted history of a 500-odd acre ranch in the middle of the Uinta Basin in Utah once called the Sherman Ranch (now more famously known as Skinwalker Ranch) was my target of analysis. I was interested in investigating this “remote” site in the middle of nowhere that was haunted by the “curse of the s-walker.” Certainly, that’s the impression one gets from the ranch’s current owners and the History Channel, both of whom often claim that the site is avoided by “the Natives” even to this day. But when I put my BS in Geography to work (by opening Google Maps) I found the ranch was practically right down the street from Ute Indian Tribe’s offices in the middle of the second largest Indian reservation in the United States. Remote? Perhaps. But not nowhere. My research from there took me through territory I didn’t expect, examining a conspiracy (and, arguably, a scam) tying together the paranormal, odd aerospace tycoons, drought, and recessions in the cattle market.

I found that the haunted Native West is not a harmless trope, but one that can be weaponized by settlers for enormous economic gain while bloodlessly narrating Native people off of the land, even in the middle of literal Indian Country. After all, what’s the harm in breaking off this piece of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation if the stories we tell say Utes didn’t want the land in the first place? Abby then gave her paper on ghost stories of the “Great American Desert” and how hauntings paired with geographic knowledge about the American West (or lack thereof) in the nineteenth century. Our adventures in historical geography then ended with Saffron’s interrogation of places in the United States with the word “devil” in their names. What should have been recognized as sacred places of spiritual power, honoring Native histories, were instead demonized and sanitized, now uncritically accepted as part of our geography. In an age of alternative facts and pseudohistory, we must ensure that Native histories and traditional stories do not get appropriated and weaponized to continue the cycles of dispossession against Native people.

As I transition to focusing on my dissertation research, I’ll miss the opportunity to continue to poke around the history of the American West with these fun research side quests. However, even as I switch from ghosts and aliens to eclipses and telescopes, I know that I can continue to rely on the community at WHA to improve my scholarship in ways that are helpful, critical, and joyful.

Crisis Moments Grants 

Deadline: September 19, 2025 

The Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest at Villanova University is pleased to  announce a funding opportunity to support public-facing historical projects related to the theme  of “Crisis Moments.” 

The Center will fund up to 8 projects of up to $5000 that creatively engage with the broad range  of questions related to the theme of Crisis Moments that can further public understanding of  contemporary crises of planning, policy, and material reality in the United States and around the  globe. This theme could encompass any number of historical topics. Examples include but are  not limited to: constitutional crises; crises of knowledge, education, and higher education;  women’s ways of coping and other interpretations of everyday crisis management; crises of  representation; climate crisis; border crises; manufactured crises; the AIDS crisis; housing and  cost of living crises; transportation and planning crises; and more. The theme is not limited by  geography or time (for instance, crises in the Ancient Mediterranean, medieval Europe, 20th  century Asia, or postcolonial African states, or the U.S. after the Cold War are all potentially  eligible). What is most important is historical focus on the occurrence and/or resolution of crises;  historical methodology; and a strong component of public engagement.  

Grants in the past have gone to such varied projects as podcasts, documentary films, oral  histories, historical tours, monograph research, dissertations, digital and physical exhibits, online  archives, digital mapping projects, and workshops, among other projects. 

The Center seeks submissions from a diverse pool of applicants that are original and imaginative  in content and form. The Center is always interested in funding proposals that adopt a global  approach and highlight issues of class, gender, race, activism, corporate influence and political  power. We strongly encourage members of minority and underrepresented populations to apply. 

About the Grants 

Grants in the amount of up to $5,000 (depending on scope, size and need) will be awarded to  projects that promote historical research, scholarship, teaching and public dialogue about  historical perspectives on labor. 

Our goal is to provide seed money and/or to help advance a project from conception to  execution. The Center is, therefore, willing to support work that may require initial funding to  get off the ground. 

Project outcomes include: a series of blog posts or podcasts, digital and in-person exhibits, an  oral history archive, a series of op-eds, a mapping project, an educational workshop, a  multimedia resource, a collaboration with local environmental organizations and other creative  ideas. 

Application and Selection Process

Applications are due to the Lepage Center by 11:59 p.m. EST on September 19, 2025.  Applications should be emailed as a single attachment (PDF) to lepage@villanova.edu and  should not exceed 15 pages. 

Applications must include: 

• A title 

• A project abstract (250 words) 

• A project description, purpose, and its contribution to history in the public interest (1-2  pages) 

• A plan of execution, including deliverables, partners, and expected outcomes (1-2 pages) • A proposed budget (1 page) 

• Resumes of principal participants (the total of resumes not to exceed 10 pages) In evaluating applications, the Lepage Center will consider: 

• The track record of the applicant(s); 

• The importance of the project goals, the originality of the method and perspective, and  the fit and relevance to the Center’s mission; 

• The feasibility of the proposal; 

• The capacity of the project to shed light on current events; 

• The articulation of an approach to historical thinking about the past that meets  disciplinary standards and perspectives 

Proposals will be reviewed by an internal committee with award decisions to be made by the last  week of October, 2025. 

A one-time disbursement of funds will occur in Fall 2025. 

Eligibility 

Proposals are limited to scholars, researchers, historical institutions and nonprofit organizations  in the United States. Global perspectives and transnational partnerships are encouraged. 

While not limited to professional historians or history institutions, proposals that feature  historians and demonstrate an approach to studying the past that broadly fits disciplinary  standards and ethics of professional history will be favored. 

Grantee Deliverables 

Grantees should be amenable to having their projects featured on the Lepage Center website,  social media and other communications; acknowledge the Lepage Center’s support in their  public-facing materials; and amenable to participate in a Lunch at Lepage or virtual panel  discussion with other grantees describing their grant work between Fall 2027 and Fall 2028. 

Fine Print

Grant awards are subject to federal, state and local tax regulations. Each grantee is responsible  for reporting taxable stipend payments and for remitting any tax due with their personal or  institutional income tax return. For specific questions about your tax responsibilities, please  contact the Internal Revenue Service, an accountant or an income tax service. IDC to be capped  at no more than 5% of the grant. 

For any questions, please contact lepage@villanova.edu

The Alliance for Texas History wishes to enlist a public history editor for its new publication, The Journal of Texas History. The journal will be an open access publication available through the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries and by print-on-demand. JTxH will publish two issues a year, beginning in summer 2025.

The person in this role will identify museum exhibits, historical markers, podcasts, documentaries, digital history resources, and other projects that seek to bring serious historical scholarship and knowledge of Texas history to the public. The public history editor will develop standards for reviews of these projects, identify reviewers with appropriate expertise, assign and edit the reviews; and participate in the Journal’s editorial board meetings (held at least biannually). 

The public history editor will be supported by Journal of Texas History co-editors, Benjamin Johnson and Rebecca Sharpless, and reviews editor, Felipe Hinojosa. Resources and recommendations will also be available via the databases and email lists of the 600+ member-strong Alliance for Texas History.

We seek a historian familiar with Texas’ public history scene, broadly defined, and with enough publication experience to plausibly edit reviews. A willingness to work in a team with the other volunteer editors and an appreciation for the wide range of subjects within Texas history are essential.

To apply, please send a cover letter describing your interest in the position along with a CV to reviews@jtxh.org by August 15 for first consideration. This is an unpaid position. For general inquiries about the journal or the Alliance for Texas History, please email contact@atxh.org

Attending the 2024 Western History Association Conference was both a fun and productive experience for me thanks to the WHA Graduate Student Prize! It was my first time staying in a room in the hotel hosting the conference, and I appreciated the easier access it gave me for attending panels and events. Additionally, I was able to allow a fellow graduate student from the University of Oklahoma to use my complimentary room as well. The service and hospitality of the hotel staff was also top notch. Overall, I felt grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy the conference and not have to worry about lodging or transportation. It made this conference one of the best I have ever attended!

The University of Oklahoma always brings dozens of graduate students and faculty to the WHA conference, and I was glad I could attend many of their panels and give my support! Some of the panels I attended included “Gender and the Struggle for Indigenous Sovereignty,” “Black Health in the West,” “Identity and Activism: Western Women Campaigning for Suffrage and Against War,” “Beyond the West: Thinking about the American West Transnationally,” and “No Constitutional Right to Abortion: Reproductive Justice, Teaching, and Research after Dobbs.”

It was nothing short of amazing to see the work that my fellow graduate students were accomplishing! For example, Tom Kahle presented a paper based on interviews he had personally conducted with Native American leader Madonna Thunder Hawk, Ben Folger discussed a little-known African American doctor in Oklahoma during the late 1800s, and Alejandra Herrera explained how the Mexican American cultural practice of “lowriders” had been adopted by people from all across the world, from Saudia Arabia to Japan. My advisor, Jennifer Holland, presented on the timely issue of abortion in our modern American society, and it felt both cathartic and productive to talk about issues and questions associated with this topic.

I also attended a roundtable of History Graduate Student Associations. It was a small one, but it gave everyone the opportunity to share their experiences with creating and maintaining organizations for the academic and social needs of graduate students. I enjoyed reminiscing on past events and discussing potential goals and activities for the History Graduate Student Association at the University of Oklahoma.

It was also a proud moment for me to receive my award at the ceremony, and many of my fellow University of Oklahoma representatives were there to support me and offer their congratulations. I appreciated that the WHA takes the time to recognize people for their accomplishments in a short yet meaningful way.

Besides attending panels, I also participated in the Welcoming Reception at the World War I Museum and Memorial and the Graduate Student Reception at the Westin. At both events, I not only enjoyed delicious snacks and free drinks, but I also caught up with friends and networked with various historians. Funnily enough, riding the free shuttle from the hotel to the reception at the World War I museum gave me an opportunity to speak to people sitting near me. For example, I spoke to Dr Tyina Steptoe, a professor at the University of Arizona, and talked to her about my research on Tucson’s Chinatown.

Additionally, since the University of Oklahoma had so many members at the conference, we also held our own event at a bar in the hotel. Since I am currently working on my dissertation, there were many graduate students and faculty I was able to reconnect with and talk about how the conference was going and how their research and work was developing.

During the WHA, I presented on a panel entitled “Finding Belonging, Navigating Space: Migration, Legislation, and Community Creation in the West, 1970s-2000s.” I presented a paper on Oklahoma City’s Asian District, which is a significant part of my planned work for my dissertation. I explained the history of the Asian District as a neighborhood mostly for refugees from Vietnam, but then over time, it developed into a space for all Asian American Oklahomans. Through this panel, I was able to share my ideas with audience members and get feedback on my arguments and ideas for my work.  

I also partook in some of the best food Kansas City had to offer, including some of the best barbeque I’ve ever had! The burnt ends at Joe’s BBQ were especially good. My friends and I also had Korean BBQ, which had a large selection of meats, including my favorite: beef belly. My friend is originally from Missouri, so it was great visiting some of his old favorite places.

On our last day, we visited the World War I memorial and museum, which was both educational and moving. The artifacts and displays were quite impressive, and it was definitely a unique experience. I especially appreciated the care the museum curators took to showcase what experiences were like for soldiers.

I am very appreciative of the opportunities and experience the WHA Graduate Student Prize gave me. I would like to extend my thanks to everyone in the WHA staff who made it possible. I look forward to my free year of WHA membership!

When I initially applied for this award, I was absolutely sincere when justifying the “why” of my submission. I am one of those historians who comes from a Religious Studies department, and while I do not have a monopoly on oddness, I pretty regularly experience some form of confusion meets unfamiliarity in academic spaces. As a scholar of Indigenous childhood and American Catholicism, my interdisciplinary methodologies generate a multiplicity of question marks. This is not necessarily a complaint—they breed a lot of excitement too, and its fantastic being able to collaborate with so many different fields! But it has primed me to expect to operate in the fringe spaces at conferences, and thus my opening statement. When I initially applied for this award, I expected some substantial networking, better positioning as a scholar of religion in a history space, and a satisfying panel discussion. I was beyond surprised to have a far more complex experience!

My encounter with the 2024 WHA conference has impacted the way I think and do research and pedagogy. I actually scheduled my flight to attend one of the earliest panels, “Removal and Dispossession: Teaching Indigenous Histories in University/College Classrooms.” The contributions of Dr. Elise Boxer (Dakota) and Dr. Jerome Clark challenged how I practically and theoretically engage with Native American Indigenous Studies, and have helped me tremendously in both strengthening my pedagogy and clarifying the why behind practices I intuitively valued but could not quite explain. I was also able to attend a panel addressing child removal and dispossession that Dr. Brenda Child participated in, the day that President Biden issued his public apology regarding boarding schools. As is the case for so many of us who do Indigenous history, Child has been foundational to my own scholarship, and being able to hear her succinctly articulate the complexity of that moment was a moment I will be referencing in classrooms forever.

These panels were unexpectedly insightful and innovative, and I’m quite certain its not only because of the brilliance of so many of the WHA’s scholars, but due to the vibrant community that forms the organization. While so many academic spaces give in to competitiveness and posturing—and understandably so with so much scarcity meets overwork meets bureaucratic negligence—somehow the WHA has resisted this fate. Because of my own positionality and scholarly focus, I was especially moved by the incredibly robust and active Native community composed of so many scholars of differing nations, backgrounds, trajectories, and career stages. I was able to renew existing relationships and form new ones, which I am confident will be collaborative, reciprocal, and long-lasting. As a scholar who has not been situated in spaces with such a strong and continuously growing Native presence, I know where I am bringing future graduate students and precious friends. I’m excited to contribute to a panel and a roundtable discussion (assuming the proposals are accepted!), and I have already involved a dear friend (also from Religious Studies!) in one of these projects. I’m excited to collaborate, network, and learn during future meetings.   

My own panel, while somewhat unluckily scheduled at the end of the conference, deeply benefitted from the WHA’s emphasis on community and its dedication to history that does something. While one of our panelists had to drop out very unfortunately, we managed to maintain a solid temporal flow and a generative Q&A. I received valuable feedback, interesting questions, and important reading recommendations. I met the publisher behind one of my favorite books who just happened to be attending our panel. While receiving this prize was so validating as an early career scholar, even more validating was my reception throughout the meeting. I am very careful when recommending venues to my Indigenous and other minority friends and colleagues, because I’m aware of how academic spaces can reproduce violence even when the work is directly counter to hate and inequity. While I am not trying to present the WHA as a paradisical space immune to the reproduction of social and cultural systems of harm, my experience was decidedly not disheartening, and I have a good sense this was not a one off, but the labor and love of a community of brilliant scholars dedicated to inclusivity and sharedness.