Wrapping up the Society for Italian Historical Studies, an affiliate of the American Historical Association
I’ve just arrived back in Asheville after a great weekend in the Windy City for the annual meeting of the American Historical Association (AHA). One of the affiliates of the AHA is the Society for Italian Historical Studies (SIHS). This year, the SIHS had eight panels comprised of scholars who work on Italian history in all periods. These panels, usually of three or four speakers, ranged in topics from gender and violence in late medieval Italy to relations between Italy and Austria in the nineteenth century.
I had the pleasure of organizing these eight panels, and I was so happy that such a wonderful set of scholars presented their work and received insightful feedback from an engaged audience. I even got to present my own paper, on Assyrian Christians visiting Rome in the seventeenth century.
The AHA is more than just papers, however. Many promising historians are there to interview for professor jobs, some (like me!) meet with publishers about future books they’re writing, and others are there to hear great professional development seminars or learn more about the state of the profession.
For me, the best part of any meeting like the AHA is to spend the time with great friends and colleagues who are as passionate about history (and the Med!) as I am. While I am so glad to be back to Asheville after four days of travel and wonky hotel sleep, it was wonderful to see so many faces that I hadn’t seen in far too long. And I had a lovely Spanish tapas dinner with some fellow Med lovers, which just made my weekend.
Conferences like the AHA/SIHS are great re-energizers in between semesters, and this weekend propelled me to spend a lot of time writing since getting my mountain bearings back in order.
If you’re thinking of becoming a historian and are interested in learning more about what we do, I encourage you to join us at the next AHA, which will be in New York, 3-6 January 2020.
Robert Clines, Ph.D. 