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Preparing for OAH 2014

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Each year the Organization of American Historians gathers for a few days of networking and education, and this year the annual meeting will be held in Atlanta from 10-13 April 2014. This year’s conference theme is “Crossing Borders,” highlighting the impact of migration on the history of the United States. Organizers are encouraging attendees to cross a few professional borders as well — from career level to specialties.

The meeting will kick off with THATCamp, the humanities and technology camp from OAH, on Wednesday 9 April. Scholars have already proposing sessions on librarian-faculty partnerships, advice on teaching digital humanities, and digital mapping and modelling.

If you’re interested in the intersection of history scholarship and technology, you may want to speak with editors Adina Popescu Berk, Ph.D., Jon Butler Ph.D, and Susan Ware Ph.D on Friday, 11 April at 2:00 p.m. in the OUP Booth #411 to discuss the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History and the American National Biography Online. The Oxford Reference Encyclopedia in American History will provide students and scholars with vetted, reliable, historiographically-informed, and regularly updated online reference material in all areas. The landmark American National Biography offers portraits of more than 18,700 men and women — from all eras and walks of life — whose lives have shaped the nation.

You’ll discover another conference highlights on the exhibit floor: The Tuskegee Airmen: The Segregated Skies of World War II, exploring the history and heroism of the first African American pilots to fly in combat during World War II. Here a brief introduction from Todd Moye’s Freedom Flyers to help prepare you:

“Nearly one thousand young men with similar backgrounds and similar expectations graduated from the Tuskegee Army Flying School between 1941 and 1945. Roughly 14,000 additional men and women worked alongside the pilots in some capacity –as civilian or military flight instructors, as secretaries, parachute-packers, medical doctors and nurses, mechanics, and in dozens of other jobs. Their personal narratives-the stories that describe what it was like to both propel and ride a wave of social change-survive in the archives of the Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Prospect, an effort on the part of the U.S. National Park Service to record the memories of the men and women who fought Adolf Hitler and Jim Crow simultaneously. Black pilots and black military and civilian support personnel in the Army Air Corps/Air Forces, those who served overseas and those who remained stateside, all shared the experience of fighting what the editors of the Pittsburgh Courier first called a “Double Victory” campaign: war against fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home.”

That’s one of over 534 books, 140 journals, and even a TV monitor and multiple iPads (to show off our new and updated online resources) that we’re bringing. Stop by to check out these OAH 2013 prize-winning titles too:


You’ll also find complimentary copies of the OAH’s Journal of American History, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. In June 1914, the Mississippi Valley Historical Review put out its first issue. In celebration, Oxford’s journals team is making one article from each of its 10 decades of publishing freely available.

For a change of pace, Ian Ruskin’s performance of “To Begin the World Over Again: the Life of Thomas Paine” on Thursday, 10 April, 5:15 p.m. is not to be missed. But if you want a little time away from the conference, we asked the newest member of the Oxford History team, Senior Marketing Manager, John Hercel what his favorite things to do in Atlanta are:

  • World of Coca-Cola: Did you know that Coca-Cola was created over 128 years ago by pharmacist, John S. Pemberton? When Coca-Cola was first available they averaged nine servings a day in Atlanta — today the estimate is 1.9 billion servings daily worldwide! Current exhibits at World of Coca-Cola include American Originals: Norman Rockwell and Coca-Cola (a look at how Coca-Cola has been featured in pop culture) and the Coca-Cola vault (where you can get as close as possible to the secret formula).
  • Inside CNN: Offering tours of the largest of CNN studios 48 bureaus, Inside CNN allows visitors to experience the fast-paced world of television news — by visiting the working studios, seeing and hearing live audio and videos feeds, and learning how the news is produced and broadcast around the world.


Don’t forget to come by Oxford’s reception on Friday, April 11 at Nikolai’s Roof starting at 5:30 -Have a little wine, a little cheese, and mingle with our authors, friends, and colleagues.

See you soon!
Oxford History Team

Oxford University Press is a leading publisher in American History including books, journals, and online products. Follow them on Twiter @OUPAmHistory and follow all the OAH activities with the #OAH2014 hashtag.

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