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Founded in 1982, the World History Association, through its global community of scholars, educators, and students, nurtures, encourages, and promotes the study of world history as borders disappear, interactions on the globe increase exponentially, and global understanding becomes essential to human future on this planet.
Matteo Ricci, Kunyu Languo Quanto, 1602, commissioned by the Wanji Emperor (Kano Collection, Tohoku University Library, Sendai, Japan)
Welcome to the World History Association
We're in Pittsburgh in 2027 for our annual conference. This one is a do-not-miss event. The Call for Papers will be public in a mere few weeks but here's what we can tell you now: this conference addresses the state of world history amid the turbulence of the present moment. Whether you are a graduate student with dreams of pursuing a career in this field, a scholar who has much to say about your own research as well as where it fits in the bigger picture of the field, or an educator who would like to think deeply about how to present world history in 2027, you are going to want to be there.
Stay tuned for details. Please join us for a fulfilling experience, with intellectual exchange, collegial schmoozing and interaction, mentoring, and an opportunity to take stock of where we are in 2027.
Apply for prizes and scholarships to support your work
Deadlines are approaching SOON!
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Apply for Phase of the World History Association/Bloomsbury Academic Diversity in World History. Due September 1, 2026.
- Apply for the WHA Dissertation Prize: due October 1, 2026.
- Apply for the Bentley Book Prize (for books published in 2026): due February 1, 2027.
NEW! "Utopian Thinking in the 16th Century" curricular module now available from H/21
Who gets to imagine a better world? And what happens when they try to build one? H/21's newest module, Utopian Thinking in the 16th Century, puts these questions in front of your students by examining utopian writing and real-life utopian experiments across Europe, the Americas, and sub-Saharan Africa as the world people know completely transformed from the late 1400s to the early 1600s—building students' skills in primary-source analysis and cross-cultural comparison as they go.
Created by Jesse Spohnholz, this two-week, classroom-tested module is completely free and ready to use—part of History for the 21st Century (H/21), an open-access library of world history teaching modules built by historians, for historians as a collaborative project with the World History Association. Drop it into your syllabus as-is, adapt a single lesson, or explore the full catalogue.
The World History Association is proud to partner with H/21 to make this important work widely available.
WHA members address the civic value of world history
Consider the current state of World History education. Schools across the United States--from K-14 to colleges and universities--are facing challenges from everything from local school boards constraining what they do to funding cuts that have led to cancelling courses, closing departments, and questioning the importance of robust history education and scholarship at their institutions. Whether it's schools electing to focus on US history, state history, or exclusively some narrowly defined version of western civilization (as opposed to rich programs that expose young people to the wider world and its critical important history and interconnectivity) OR the elimination of area studies' programs, global initiatives, or interdisciplinary studies, it's coming from the same place: a questioning of the value of a deep understanding and appreciation of world history. We recently explored this in a virtual panel discussion on the "Civic Value of World History." Click "learn more" below to watch the recording of this session.
Discounted access to celebrated world history teaching materials for members
Coming soon! Members will be able to access the celebrated innovative curricular materials created by WHA member Bram Hubbell at Liberating Narratives thanks to a 40% discount.
This opportunity is available only to WHA members, one of many member benefits the WHA offers. Join us!
Support the WHA's advocacy of
world history-related issues
We have just spoken out about the US Department of Education's plan to rescind regulations related to the Fulbright and Title VI programs. That's just the latest in the WHA"s role in advocating for issues of deep concern to our members. Please take a look at what we are up to.
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