Creating a Forum for Undergraduate Historians: The Historical Review at UW

Submitted by Xiaoshun Zeng on

Every professor and TA wants to showcase their undergraduates’ stellar work. Now, thanks to a group of dedicated undergraduates, there is a way for students to share their ideas and research with others at the University of Washington and beyond.

The Historical Review at UW is a new forum for publishing long-form research topics. Founded by a mix of history and non-history majors in November 2019, it allows undergraduates to submit papers on a variety of topics to a peer-review and editing team. The current issue includes offerings such as “The Hippie Movement from 1960-1975: An Analysis of Social and Political Factors,” “The Sweet Fruit of Labor: An Examination of Black Labor Unions in South Africa,” and “The Pink Scare: The Woman Patriot and the Gendering of Radicalism.”

When asked about the idea behind the journal, lead founder Wendi Zhou commented that she hoped to highlight the need to study history at a university that was much more closely associated with STEM. “[History is] a field that has the reputation of being boring or only about things that happened in the past,” she wrote. “I think that history is very relevant to the present and can shed light on how things are the way they are, and making history relevant and accessible for students is another of my goals for creating the journal.” Perhaps fittingly, the journal’s homepage quotes Harry Truman as part of its founding philosophy: “There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.”

Zhou has explored UW’s course offerings deeply and widely with a double major in history and philosophy, along with a minor in comparative history of ideas. Although she has taken a number of classes in history, she cites HSTEU 234: History of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, with Laurie Marhoefer, HSTCMP 485: Comparative Colonialism, with Vicente Rafael, and HSTAA 337: The Holocaust and American Life, with Susan Glenn, as some of the most influential, helping her to develop her interests in histories of race, gender, and sexuality in post-WWII Germany.

The Historical Review at UW is a welcome initiative to help undergraduates hone their interests and research skills outside of class assignments. For students seeking a community that wrestles with big questions, it offers a chance to bond over shared intellectual interests. Submission to the journal is open to all students, regardless of whether or not they are a history major, and each new edition is published in spring quarter. Additionally, those interested in reviewing or serving on the editorial board can apply during fall quarter. Read more about the journal, or find out how to submit a paper, at the Historical Review’s website.

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