History of Now

The History of 2022 Course

How can we understand the events, ideas, and conflicts that have featured in the news cycle during the past year?

The History of 2022 offered historically informed reflections on last year’s momentous events, providing an opportunity to understand our world in its historic context. Each week featured a different History faculty member speaking on a major news topic of the year, showing what we can learn by approaching it from a historical perspective.

The course was open to all students (newcomers and history veterans alike) who wanted to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of 2022, and who were curious to consider how studying history can offer a deeper and richer understanding of tumultuous times.

Featured speakers included Amir Weiner, Gil-li Vardi, Kathryn Olivarius, Gabrielle Hecht, Estelle Freedman, James Campbell, Jonathan Gienapp, Jennifer Burns & Thomas Mullaney.

By popular demand, The History of 2023 will take place this Fall!

Historical Conversations

Historical Conversations is a quarterly event series where Stanford History Faculty workshop their work-in-progress or recently published books. Occasionally, the sessions are organized around a topic that directly affects public life and are open to the campus community.

This year’s Historical Conversations, organized by Professors Partha Shil and Ali Yaycioglu, featured four faculty research projects.

November 30, 2022 | James Campbell

Freedom Now: The Mississippi Freedom Movement in History and Memory

March 1, 2023 | Jennifer Burns

Money, Milton, and Me

April 12, 2023 | Amir Weiner

At Home With the KGB: A New History of the Soviet Secret Service

May 23, 2023 | Ali Yaycıoğlu

How to write a democratic history of the Ottoman Empire