Vanderbilt Awards for Doctoral Discovery 2026 Winner
May. 8, 2026—Mustafa Ince has been awarded the Vanderbilt Award for Doctoral Discovery (VADD) in support of his early dissertation research. The VADD is a competitive program that supports graduate students in advancing their doctoral research. A second-year PhD student in the Department of History at Vanderbilt University, Mustafa works with Professor Leor Halevi on Islamic legal...
Vanderbilt Department of History Phd Candidate Spotlight
Apr. 27, 2026—Congratulations to PhD candidate, Lucia Eguono Edafioka, for winning the Center for the Study of Africa and the African Diaspora (CSAAD) Predoctoral Fellowship at NYU! Lucia’s research focuses on West African history, with particular attention to the intersections between the transatlantic slave trade and the material culture of ethnic groups in Southern Nigeria. Her research...
Vanderbilt Awards for Doctoral Discovery 2026 Winner
Apr. 27, 2026—Congratulations to PhD candidate, Wenkuo MA, for being one of the winner’s of the Vanderbilt Awards for Doctoral Discovery! This year, the Vanderbilt Awards for Doctoral Discovery (VADD) was awarded to two PhD candidates in the Department of History at Vanderbilt University. This award is a competitive funding program that supports doctoral students with strong...
Cowie named Guggenheim Fellow
Apr. 16, 2024—The Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation announced the appointment of 188 Guggenheim Fellowships to a distinguished and diverse group of culture creators working across 52 disciplines. Jefferson Cowie, the James G. Stahlman Professor of History at Vanderbilt University, was named to this 99th class of Guggenheim Fellows.
Political experts examine America’s divisions heading into 2024 election
Jan. 31, 2024—Nicole Hemmer, associate professor of history, interviewed.
Fort Mose State Park hosts groundbreaking ceremony to begin fort reconstruction
Jan. 31, 2024—Working in tandem with a team of archeologists and researchers Jane Landers authenticated the fort’s location through historical documents, thermal and satellite imaging, aerial photographs, and artifacts.
Vanderbilt’s William Caferro elected as Medieval Academy of America Fellow
Sep. 13, 2023—The Medieval Academy of America has elected William Caferro, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of History, to its 2023 Class of Fellows. This award, which is the highest career honor for an American medievalist, pays tribute to Caferro’s scholarly achievement.
NEH awards stipend to Vanderbilt’s Meng Zhang for innovative edible bird’s nest research
Sep. 13, 2023—Vanderbilt Assistant Professor of History Meng Zhang has been awarded a stipend from the National Endowment for the Humanities to bolster her research into the edible bird’s nest trade in maritime Asia, shedding light on its economic and environmental transformation, political economy and the role it played in the emergence of global capitalism.
Vanderbilt social, political historian Jefferson Cowie wins Pulitzer for ‘Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power’
Sep. 13, 2023—Jefferson Cowie, James G. Stahlman Professor of American History, was named a 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner for his book Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power in the history category. Cowie joins the 107th class of Pulitzer Prize winners, which includes 23 awardees. Cowie will receive a $15,000 award.
Sebastian Arango: Reflection on History Major
Sep. 21, 2022—Sebastian Arango ’00 Picking up a newspaper these days, it’s practically impossible not to come across articles describing the challenges that the humanities face across the college landscape. History majors are unloved on the salary and employment front. Employers view the liberal arts as a quaint relic. For a student of history, however, it’s a...