E-Newsletter - Winter 2023 | Department of History

With the winter quarter just a few weeks away, we are looking forward to the start of our 49th History Lecture Series. This year's theme, Seattle and the Salish Sea: Building and Belonging, focuses on the people who have made this area their home along with the challenges they faced with building community, evolving identities, adapting to new systems, and finding ways to belong. John Findlay will provide an overview of citizenship and historical population demographics for the city, Josh Reid will present Native approaches to colonization of the area, Devin Naar will introduce us to one of the largest communities of Jews from the Muslim world, Elena Campbell will discuss Seattle's history with Russia and the USSR, and James Gregory will look at the history of housing and racial exclusion.

In this e-newsletter you'll find more information about each of the HLS lectures, including an article that takes a closer look at the inspiration behind John Findlay's career in the history of the American West, and we also introduce you to our alumna, Debbie Galuska, who attends HLS year after year.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2024 History Lecture Series!

Announcing the 2024 History Lecture Series

Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region are home to millions, but what first drew people to this area? How did they adapt to this new place? What about the Native population who was already here? In this year's History Lecture Series, UW History faculty will examine the historical demographics of the region's population through the lens of groups that have come to inhabit the area over the decades. The Department of History invites you to join us for the 49th History Lecture… Read more

From Side Job to Career: How One Professor Found His Passion

Emeritus Professor John Findlay is a familiar member of the UW History community, having spent over thirty years teaching the histories of the North American West and the Pacific Northwest. Although he grew up in Seattle, his journey towards studying the history of his hometown is full of surprises. As an undergraduate at the University of Puget Sound, Findlay was initially interested in European history. His focus shifted to the American West as a graduate student at the University of… Read more

Alumni Spotlight: Debbie Galuska

We recently caught up with UW History alumna Debbie Galuska (class of 1973). Debbie has been an ardent supporter of the department and history in general since her student days. She serves as the chair of the History Advisory Board and is an advocate for history education within the state. What brought you to the UW and why did you choose to study history? I entered the UW as a freshman in the fall of 1969 interested in languages and teaching. My brother had received his PhD in history… Read more

Faculty News Bits

History faculty continue to excel in their respective fields of study. We are proud of the accomplishments of each of our faculty and hope you'll join us in celebrating the following achievements: Professor Emeritus Frank Conlon was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the South Asian Studies Association of Australia. Hannah Frydman (Assistant Professor of French Studies, Adjunct Assistant Professor of History) was recently awarded the Bailey Prize for best journal article… Read more

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