News

UMass public historian Samuel J. Redman reexamines a collection of Native American peace medals to reveal the stories they tell about culture, colonialism, and historical memory in his new book, Tarnished Promises: Indian Peace Medals in North America (University Press of Colorado). Peace medals, though wielded as tools of colonialism, were also adopted by Native people in North America in ways that reveal agency, resistance, and adaptation in the face of the threats of colonialism. Peace medals have long interested scholars, but this is the first monograph to consider these significant

The 2026 World Cup has brought a soccer fervor to Massachusetts, and UMass historian Brian D. Bunk is meeting the moment with a new book on the history of soccer. The Shortest History of Soccer: From Ancient Kicking Games to the World's Most Popular Sport is an accessible, fast-paced tour through centuries of tradition that evolved into the game fans across the world know and love today.

Three members of the history department community were recognized by the College of Humanities and Fine Arts  for their contributions to the department, research, and teaching. From education to public engagement to scholarship, all three awardees play essential roles in ensuring our students’ success and uplifting our department’s scholarship in the history field and beyond.

Heidi V. Scott authors new book on the relationship between maps and the underground in colonial Latin America

UMass historian Elizabeth Jacob was selected by the Center for Teaching and Learning as one of eight Lilly Fellows for Teaching Excellence. Established in 1986, the Lilly Fellowship for Teaching Excellence enables promising early-career faculty to cultivate teaching skills and leadership in a special yearlong collaboration. 

View the full list of 2026 history department award-winners!

UMass historian Jason Moralee has published an updated edition of The Historians of Ancient Rome, a textbook tracing Roman history through ancient sources, co-authored with UCLA professor emeritus Ronald Mellor. 

Historian Richard Chu has received the 2026 ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Award in recognition of his support for his colleagues’ professional development and success. 

Department of History faculty member Stephen R. Platt has been awarded a prestigious 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.