News from

History

Reset All Filters
627 Results
Not-so-self-evident truths
Sophia Rosenfeld

Sophia Rosenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History

Not-so-self-evident truths

In her new book, Sophia Rosenfeld, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, digs up the roots of the relationship between democracy and truth.

Penn Today Staff

A meeting of medievalists
Professor speaking to classroom, sitting at table, with computer in front of him.

Penn English Professor David Wallace is the president of the Medieval Academy of America, which is holding its annual conference on campus. (Photo: Eric Sucar)

A meeting of medievalists

More than 500 medieval scholars from the U.S. and Europe will be on campus for the annual Medieval Academy of America conference. Dozens of panels, workshops, and lectures about the Middle Ages will convene, many led by Penn faculty.

Louisa Shepard

The ignorance of blackface
abstract faces rendered in bold patterns and colors

The ignorance of blackface

Historian Mia Bay discusses the history of blackface, its intent, and why it is still occurring in the 21st century.
The times and life of W.E.B. Du Bois at Penn
W.E.B. Du Bois sits at his desk in his office.

Photo courtesy: W.E.B Du Bois Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries

The times and life of W.E.B. Du Bois at Penn

In 1896, Du Bois was appointed an assistant instructor at Penn and began his investigation of the Seventh Ward of Philadelphia—research that he would turn into his groundbreaking work, “The Philadelphia Negro.”
Testing finds signs of African-American burial ground beneath Chestnut Street property
Parking lot on Chestnut Street

The burial ground stretches across two lots, one of which Penn bought in 1986 and used as a parking lot. It's now closed. (Photo: Gwyneth K. Shaw)

Testing finds signs of African-American burial ground beneath Chestnut Street property

Portions of the cemetery, dating to the 19th century, may still lie beneath land owned by Penn. University officials are working with the community to decide what’s next.

Gwyneth K. Shaw , Ron Ozio

Leafing through the pages of medical library history
Library room at the Pennsylvania Hospital with a long table, ornate rug and glass cabinets of books

This room has housed the library since 1807, save a brief period when the space was used as the lying-in (obstetrical) ward. (Photo: Penn Medicine News Blog)

Leafing through the pages of medical library history

Rare gems, anatomical and botanical volumes, and the original library catalog are all housed in the Historic Medical Library at Pennsylvania Hospital, the first of its kind in the country.

Penn Today Staff

‘Lost world, lost lives, and the displacement of a culture’
library archivist walking through book stacks

‘Lost world, lost lives, and the displacement of a culture’

Hundreds of books looted by the Nazis during World War II sit on the shelves of the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, a window into a different time in history and individuals we may have otherwise never known.

Michele W. Berger

Reclaiming socialism
Kristen Ghodsee interacting with students in class

Reclaiming socialism

Kristen R. Ghodsee has been intrigued by the former Eastern bloc since she was in high school. Now, her research is reaching a new audience in a provocative book.

Gwyneth K. Shaw

Celebrating MLK
A stage ready for a MLK Day of Service performance.

The 2019 Symposium on Social Change will feature performances, discussions, and service opportunities. (Photograph courtesy: The African-American Resource Center)

Celebrating MLK

The annual Commemorative Symposium on Social Change features events to commemorate and honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Gwyneth K. Shaw