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Alumni Update: Nick Sessums (’24) Publishes Essay in ‘Central Europe Yearbook’

The History Department was pleased to receive an update from Nick Sessums, a 2024 alumnus who graduated with honors. After nine months of drafts, revisions, edits, and reviews, Sessums has just published an essay, titled “Russification and Russianization in Modern Historiography,” in the Central Europe Yearbook.

The essay project began with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As a student of history, politics, culture, and international relations, Sessums was captivated both by the historical moment itself and what it said about the world that we live in. Russia’s invasion went against everything that he had been taught about how people and governments were supposed to operate. He had to know why reality did not match his perception of the world.

In the Spring of 2023, he began researching and writing his undergraduate thesis, “Parallel Nations: Ukrainian, Russian, and Imperial Identity in Right-Bank Little Russia” (submitted in April 2024). While he answered many of his original questions in this process, he also began to ask new ones. He started to explore not just the current and historical events themselves, but how the people researching them talk about and interact with them.

Those questions led him to write the essay on Russification and Russianization. He addressed the current moment for Russian and Ukrainian Studies scholarship, particularly for the study of the Ukrainian-Russian borderlands that have faced the brunt of the Russian invasion. His article is also shaped by larger, structural questions regarding disciplinarity, as Slavic Studies in general faces both external and internal challenges in today’s academy. Finally, he highlights the continued role of memory in the field, as the way that we remember historical events often shapes how we study them going forward.

Sessums is especially grateful to his former professors, Dr. Astrid M. Eckert and Dr. Matthew Payne, who told him that his work was good enough for publication and helped him push it to the finish line.

by emoryhistorydept

Four Majors Named to Emory 100 Senior Honorary

Four Emory History Department majors have been named to the Emory 100 Senior Honorary, an award program that recognizes exceptional student leaders in the graduating class. Majors Emilyn Hazelbrook, Klaire Mason, Alexander Moss, and Adelaide Rosene joined the honorees this year. Members of this prestigious group, which is marking its 20th year in 2025, are campus leaders, thought provokers, dynamic athletes, academic mentors, and community influencers. They have made meaningful contributions at Emory and are working to create a lasting impact in communities worldwide. Members of 100 Senior Honorary come from Oxford College, Emory College, Goizueta Business School, and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Past honorees continue to shape Emory’s future by mentoring students, supporting admissions, leading alumni chapters, organizing reunions, and serving on leadership boards. Read more about this program here.

by emoryhistorydept

Dr. Craig Perry (PhD, ’14) Presents New Research on Medieval Africa through Lens of Jewish Merchants

Dr. Craig Perry, a 2014 alum of the Emory History doctoral program and currently Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Jewish Studies in Emory’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, presented new research at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds, England, in the summer of 2024. Based on a new English translation and analysis of a twelfth-century letter written by a Jewish merchant, Perry’s research offers new perspectives on the social history of medieval African societies and peoples. Read his reflection on the presentation, and elaboration on the research, here: “Prof. Craig Perry Presents Paper at the International Medieval Congress.” Perry completed his dissertation, “The Daily Life of Slaves and the Global Reach of Slavery in Medieval Egypt, 969-1250 CE,” under the advisement of Marina Rustow (faculty from 2003-2010).

by emoryhistorydept

Anderson Offers Historical Context on Brink of Inauguration

Dr. Carol Anderson, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of African American Studies and associated faculty in the History Department, recently sat for an interview on the “Big Books and Bold Ideas” show from Minnesota Public Radio. Anderson was interviewed alongside Lindsay M. Chervinsky, a presidential historian and the Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library. Speaking in the lead up to the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20, Anderson and Chervinsky draw parallels to earlier periods in U.S. history and offer commentary on the country’s political trajectory. Anderson is the author of many books, including, most recently, The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally-Unequal America (Bloomsbury, 2021). Listen to the MPR conversation here: “On the brink of the inauguration, historians reflect on America’s trajectory.”

by emoryhistorydept

Lipstadt Will Return to Emory as University Distinguished Professor

Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt will return to the Emory faculty as University Distinguished Professor following her service as the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism in the Biden administration. A renowned historian of modern antisemitism and the Holocaust, Lipstadt will retain her positions as Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies in the Department of Religion and Associated Faculty in the History Department. She is only the fourth person to hold a University Distinguished Professor chair, following Jimmy Carter, Salman Rushdie, and Kevin Young. Read more about Lipstadt’s return in the Emory News Center’s article.

“I am excited to bring what I have learned during my time with the State Department back to Emory to help teach the next generation of scholars and leaders,” Lipstadt says. “When my nomination was announced, I said that the one thing I would miss was being in the classroom with my Emory students. Now, I look forward to returning to campus to resume the crucial task of supporting students as they learn to evaluate evidence and think critically.”

by emoryhistorydept

Brunner (PhD, ’24) Publishes Article in ‘African Economic History’

Dr. Georgia Brunner, a 2024 graduate of the History doctoral program, has published a new article in the journal African Economic History. Titled “Famine, Labor, and Power in Colonial Rwanda, 1916–1944,” the piece explores how colonial administrators used famine to extract labor from Africans in Rwanda. Brunner completed their dissertation, “Building a Nation: Gender, Labor, and the Politics of Nationalism in Colonial Rwanda,” under the advisement of Clifton Crais, Professor of History. They are currently Prestigious Fellowships Advisor in the Office of Undergraduate Education at Georgia Tech. Read the abstract of Brunner’s piece below and find the full article here.

In the early twentieth century, Rwandans faced a number of colonial pressures, first from Germans interested in solidifying their vast East African empire, and then by Belgian troops fighting in the First World War. This article argues that Europeans exploited Rwandans in times of crisis, particularly during war and famine, to cement their control over Rwanda. Both Germans and Belgians fought over porters and land, causing significant famine throughout the war-torn territory. Later, Belgians capitalized on two subsequent famines to increase compulsory labor under the guise that such labor was needed to end famine. This article uses Anglican, newly available Catholic missionary documents, and Belgian colonial records to discuss (a) the cause of famines in colonial Rwanda, (b) the ways that colonial administrators used famines to extract unfree labor, and (c) how those systems of labor extraction continued in times of plenty and cemented colonial presence in the territory.

by emoryhistorydept

History Department Offers Rich Slate of Courses for Spring 2025 Semester

Faculty and graduate students in the Emory History Department will teach a rich slate of undergraduate courses in the spring 2025 semester. These include offerings at the 200 and 300 levels, as well as many compelling interdisciplinary courses cross-listed with departments across campus. Browse the offerings below.

200-Level Courses

  • HIST 215/AMST 285-1: History of the American West, Patrick Allitt, TTh 11:30am-12:45pm
  • HIST 221/AFS 221-1: The Making of Modern Africa, Clifton C. Crais, TTh 10am-11:15am
  • HIST 228/AMST 228/ EAS 228 1: Asian American History, Chris Suh, MW 2:30pm-3:45pm
  • HIST 239/AAS 239: History of African Americans Since 1865, Kali Gross, MW 10am-11:15am
  • HIST 247: Napoleon’s Europe, Brian Vick, MW 5:30pm-6:45pm
  • HIST 254/MESAS 254: From Pearls to Petroleum, Roxani Margariti, MW 10am-11:15am
  • HIST 265/MESAS 235: Making of Modern South Asia, Hugo Hansen, MW 4pm-5:15pm
  • HIST 267W/AAS 267W: The Civil Rights Movement, Carol Anderson and Lizette London, MW 4pm-5:15pm
  • HIST 270/JS 270/MESAS 275: Survey of Jewish History, Tamar Menashe, TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm
  • HIST 279W/CHN 279W: Post-Mao? China After 1976, Sarah M. Rodriguez, MW 1pm-2:15pm
  • HIST 285/AMST 285-2: The US and the Cold War, Emilie Cunning, MW 11:30am-12:45pm
  • HIST 285-2/AFS 270-2: Colonial Legacies in Africa, Gerardo Manrique de Lara Ruiz, MW 5:30pm-6:45pm
  • HIST 285-3/AFS 270-3: African Nationalism in the 20th Cent., Rene Odanga, 2:30pm-3:45pm
  • HIST 296-1/ JS 271: Jews & Race in U.S. History, Eric L. Goldstein, MW 10am-11:15am
  • HIST 296-2/REL 270-4/JS 271-2: Holocaust Memory in Europe, Israel, & the US, Alicja Podbielska, TTh 11:30am-12:45pm
  • HIST 200W/MESAS 200W: Middle East: Empires to Nations, Courtney Freer, TTh 11:30am-12:45pm
  • HIST 206W/MESAS 202W: South Asia: Empires to Nations, Ruby Lal, MW 2:30pm-3:45pm
  • HIST 214/AMST 285-3: The American Death Penalty, Daniel LaChance, MW 4pm-5:15pm

300-Level Courses

  • HIST 332/MESAS 332: Gandhi: Non-Violence & Freedom, Scott A Kugle, MW 2:30pm-3:45pm
  • HIST 336/AMST 336/LACS 336: Migrants & Borders in the US, Iliana Rodriguez, TTh 10am-11:15am
  • HIST 338/JS 338: Jews of Eastern Europe, Ellie Schainker, TTh 10am-11:15am
  • HIST 342/AMST 385-1: The Old South, Maria Montalvo, TTh 1pm-2:15pm
  • HIST 343 (Part of Sustainability Minor too): History of Skiing & Snowsports, Judith A. Miller, TTh 5:30pm-6:45pm
  • HIST 347: The Industrial Revolution, Patrick Allitt, TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm
  • HIST 348/AMST 348-1/JS 371 3: Ethnic Experience in America, Jonathan Prude, TTh 5:30pm-6:45pm
  • HIST 363W/LACS 363W-1: Sugar and Rum, Robert Goddard, TTh 8:30am-9:45am
  • HIST 368/HLTH 385-10: History of Hunger, Thomas Rogers, TTh 5:30pm-6:45pm
  • HIST 378 /AFS 378-1/ANT 378-1/LACS 378 -1: Human Trafficking: Global History, Adriana Chira, MW 1pm-2:15pm
  • HIST 384/AAS 384-1/ENG 389-1: Slavery in US History & Culture, Michelle Gordon, TTh 4pm-5:15pm
  • HIST 385-1/AMST 385-2/ ANT 385-8: Oral History: Methods/Practices, Jonathan Coulis, TTh 4pm-5:15pm
  • HIST 385-2/AMST 385-3: Information & Power, US History, Matthew Guariglia, MW 10am-11:15am
  • HIST 385-3/JS 371-2/WGS 385-9: Women & Law, 1200-1800, Tamar Menashe, TTh 11:30am-12:45pm
  • HIST 385-4/REES 375-1: The Soviet Cold War, Matthew Payne, MWF 1pm-1:50pm
  • HIST 385-6: Cultures of Romanticism, Brian Vick, MW 1pm-2:15pm
  • HIST 385W-1: Singlewomen/Premodern Europe, Michelle Armstrong-Partida, MW 11:30am-12:45pm
  • HIST 385W-2/AMST 385W-2: Black & Indigenous Histories, Malinda Lowery, MW 10am-11:15am
  • HIST 396-2/CPLT 389-1/ENG 389-2: History, Memory, Literature, Angelika Bammer, TTh 10am-11:15am
  • HIST 396-3/ENG 389-3/PHIL 385-5/CPLT 389-3: No Time to Think!, Elizabeth Goodstein, TTh 4pm-5:15pm
  • HIST 396-4/ GER 375-1, JS 375 1, CPLT 389 4: Making Sense of Fascism, Frank Voigt, TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm
  • HIST 302/CL 329R: History of Rome, Jinyu Liu, MW 2:30pm-3:45pm
  • HIST 323: Reformation Europe & Beyond, Sharon Strocchia, TTh 4pm-5:15pm
  • HIST 325W/CL 325W: The Classical Tradition & American Founding, Barbara Lawatsch-Melton, TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm
by emoryhistorydept

Crespino, Jimmy Carter Professor of History, Remembers Life and Legacy of Former President

Members of Joe Crespino’s “Carter Presidency” seminar course visiting Jimmy Carter’s Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, in 2018.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100. Dr. Joseph Crespino, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Divisional Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Jimmy Carter Professor of History, has helped to shape of popular understandings of Carter’s life and legacy, including in the days since his passing. Carter nurtured a “unique collaboration” with Emory University, which included regular end-of-term visits to Crespino’s “Carter Presidency” seminar course. Crespino was named the first Jimmy Carter Professor in 2014. View a presentation Crespino recently gave about Carter’s legacy, along with a list of recent articles from, and media citations of, Crespino focused on the former president.

by emoryhistorydept

Sanders Chronicles the Impacts of “Segregation Scholarships”

Dr. Crystal R. Sanders, Associate Professor of African American Studies and Associated Faculty in the History Department, recently published A Forgotten Migration: Black Southerners, Segregation Scholarships, and the Debt Owed to Public HBCUs with UNC Press. The book chronicles the little-known history of “segregation scholarships,” a pre–Brown v. Board of Education practice wherein southern states paid to send Black students out of state for graduate education instead of creating separate but equal graduate programs at tax-supported Black colleges or by admitting Black students to historically white institutions. A finalist for the 2025 Association for the Study of African American Life and History Book Prize, A Forgotten Migration was also the focus of a recent piece in Forbes. Read an excerpt from that piece, in which Sanders explains the genesis of the project, along with the full article: “A History Of ‘Segregation Scholarships’ And The Impact On HBCUs.”

“Growing up in rural North Carolina, I noticed that many of the retired Black public school teachers in my church had master’s degrees from NYU and Columbia University’s Teachers College. Quick math let me know that they had earned these degrees in the late 1940s and early 1950s. I asked my father why these women had chosen to go so far away for graduate school and he answered my question with a question: ‘Did they really have a choice?’” Sanders elaborated, “My dad’s comments stayed with me and I began exploring the credentials of Black public school teachers in the decades before desegregation and realized that Black teachers all over the South seemed to have these degrees from northeastern and midwest institutions.”

by emoryhistorydept

LaChance Appraises Biden’s Push to End Federal Executions

Dr. Daniel LaChance, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow in Law and the Humanities and Associate Professor of History, was quoted in a mid-December 2024 U.S. News & World Report article about whether President Biden would seek to commute the sentences of remaining prisoners on federal death row. A week after that article, the Biden administration announced that 37 of those 40 prisoners would have their sentences reclassified to life without parole.

LaChance is a legal scholar working at the intersection of American legal and cultural history, criminology, and literary studies. His books include Executing Freedom: The Cultural Life of Capital Punishment in the United States (University of Chicago Press, 2016) and Crimesploitation (Stanford University Press, 2022), co-authored with Paul Kaplan. Read an excerpt from the U.S. News & World Report article below along with the full piece here: “Biden Made a Promise to End the Federal Death Penalty. Will He Bend to Pressure to Empty Death Row?“

“He’s very much made the death penalty a symbol of what he represents,” Daniel LaChance, an associate professor at Emory University who wrote the book “Executing Freedom: The Cultural Life of Capital Punishment in the United States,” says of Trump.

“It’s pretty shrewd on his part because we know that support for the death penalty is concentrated amongst white Protestant Republicans – a key and core part of his base,” LaChance says.

Overall, about 53% of Americans support the death penalty for someone convicted of murder, according to polling from Gallup. Support for the death penalty for a convicted murderer has been trending down in recent decades after reaching a historic high of 80% in 1994, according to Gallup.