On June 2-3, the RAI, together with The Queen’s College, hosted two days of conversation and celebration to mark the centenary of the creation of the Harmsworth Professorship in American History. This one-year visiting position has been held by many of the United States’ most distinguished historians. Around twenty former Harmsworth professors attended the event, along with other invited guests including Oxford’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Irene Tracey; the Chancellor, Lord Patten; the Deputy US Ambassador; and Lord and Lady Rothermere.
The symposium focused on two of the key themes that have run through the Harmsworth lectures over the last century. The first is the question of who is an American? What have been the changing boundaries of belonging and citizenship, and how have these been contested? What role have race, class, and gender played in defining what it means to be an American. The second theme has been the place of the United States in the world. Perhaps in part because of the external perspective of a position in Oxford, Harmsworth Professors have often taken the opportunity to reflect on their country in comparative, transnational and global terms. In the end, one of the running themes of the conversation was the value of an external perspective on American history. Harmsworth Professors, along with the dozens of other historians who have written about America from here, have been able to - at least for a while - look at America from the outside in.
Recordings
1. The History of the Harmsworth Chair
Michael Hopkins (Liverpool); chaired by Lawrence Goldman (Oxford)
https://www.youtube.com/embed/qlHQf_JEOK4
2. Belonging and Citizenship
Lizabeth Cohen (Harvard; 2007–08)
Annette Gordon-Reed (Harvard; 2014–15)
Barbara Savage (Pennsylvania; 2018–19)
Chaired by Robin Kelley (UCLA; 2009–10)
One of the main themes of the Harmsworth Lectures over the past century has been the question, who is an American? What have been the changing boundaries of belonging and citizenship, and how have these been contested? What role have race, class, and gender played in defining what it means to be an American? This panel will consider how these questions have shaped the writing of American history in the past and chart their likely future trajectory.
3. America and the World
Kristin Hoganson (Illinois; 2015–16)
David Hollinger (California, Berkeley; 2001–02)
Melvyn Leffler (Virginia; 2002–03)
Ian Tyrrell (New South Wales; 2010–11)
Chaired by Uta Balbier (Oxford)
Another key theme in the Harmsworth Lectures has been the place of the United States in the world. Perhaps in part because of the external perspective afforded by a position in Oxford, Harmsworth Professors have often taken the opportunity to reflect on their country in comparative, transnational, and global terms. This panel will reflect on the changing assumptions and methodologies embedded in these lectures, and consider how scholars, now and in the future, will approach the field of America and the world.
