Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., the George Washington University History Department is an intellectual community of faculty, graduate students, undergraduates, and many associates and friends. With more than 40 full-time faculty, varied both in specialization and research methods, GW is an ideal place to study fields as diverse as modern Africa, early modern Europe, the history of colonialism and imperialism, modern America, and the Cold War.

Home to some of the most important research repositories and archives in the world, Washington is a unique and exciting place to study history. Studying history at GW provides students with the knowledge and analytical tools necessary for success in a wide range of careers and professions.

While the History Department does not take positions on matters of partisan politics, we are very insistent on matters of principle, including those enunciated in the University's Statement on Diversity and Inclusion: “Leveraging diversity is rarely achieved by accident. As individuals and as an institution, we must intentionally act to create the diverse and inclusive community that enables everyone to flourish. All members and units of the George Washington University community must advance the institution’s commitment to diversity and inclusion as a strategic priority.”  

I write now to affirm that statement and to assure you that the History Department remains dedicated to the principles of inclusiveness and tolerance; we see them as essential to the scholarly mission of the university.
 
If you have any particular concerns that you wish to bring to our attention, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I can be reached at [email protected].

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Sara Matthiesen works on modern U.S. history, with an emphasis on gender, race, sexuality, and reproduction after 1945. Her current book, Reproduction Reconceived (University of California Press), examines battles over the right to family making since the 1970s. This project traces a number of debates between activists and public institutions in order to understand how family making was reconceptualized as a choice by the end of the 20th century. Matthiesen has taught courses on the history of reproductive politics, the history of criminal sexualities, feminist theory, and critical legal theory. Prior to joining the faculty at George Washington she was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Brown University. Matthiesen also teaches in the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at The George Washington University.

Professor Joel Blecher's research has led him to find an early draft of Ibn Hajar's Fath al-Bari, one of the most important Sunni commentaries on hadith. Dated 1419, the early draft of the manuscript shows significant differences from the final copy completed 20 years later. Professor Blecher's research shows that interpretations of  hadith continued to change and evolve even over the course of Ibn Hajar's life and that Islam "can't be reduced to a single sacred book, frozen in time." Instead, "it's a dynamic and complex tradition that was continually revised and re-revised over many lifetimes, and even within a single lifetime." The broader implications of Professor Blecher's discovery are detailed in The Atlantic, here. The original study, published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, is available to the public, here.

The History Department is pleased to announce the creation of the Dr. Charles Herber Annual Scholarship. This scholarship, supported by alumnus Ron Denham '67, will be awarded to an undergraduate majoring in History with a preference for a student who is the first in their family to attend college. Providing this scholarship will help alleviate some of the financial strains facing our students, allowing the recipient to more thoroughly engage in the History curriculum and pursue their academic interests.

Dr. Charles Herber, Associate Professor Emeritus of History and International Affairs, has instilled lifelong learning in countless of his students. We are privileged to receive this support on behalf of our students and in honor of Dr. Charles Herber and his years of dedication to his students and the department.