Department of History

College of Humanities and Sciences

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Kai Frazier, who graduated from VCU with a bachelor’s degree in history, founded Kai XR, a metaverse platform for educating children. (Contributed photo)

VCU alum Kai Frazier brings the world to students through virtual field trips

Aug. 31, 2023

Combining her background in teaching and museum work, 2008 history graduate broadens access for youths to immerse themselves in life-changing learning.

brooke newman

Prioritizing the Fragments of History: Brooke Newman’s journey in writing “The Queen’s Silence”

June 8, 2023

Brooke Newman, Ph.D. describes her soon to be published book "The Queen's Silence" and how she researched the history of the royal family and their connections with the slave trade.

Emily Raymond and Schuyler VanValkenburg holding certificate

State Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg receives alumni achievement award

April 13, 2023

State Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg is the third person to receive the history department's highest honor for graduate alumni.

Miguel Torres Yunda

Former VCU History Student Miguel Torres Yunda: Unafraid and Unstoppable

Nov. 10, 2022

VCU history student Nyah Graham chatted with former VCU history student Miguel Torres Yunda to learn about his journey at VCU, his pursuit of a Ph.D. and his future plans.

greg smithers posing near statuettes of the letters v.c.u. on the v.c.u. campus

From Two-Spirits to Long Man, Smithers brings contemporary understanding to Indigenous heritage

Nov. 7, 2022

The professor of history works to provide “intellectual multivitamins” to students and readers, inspiring them to do their own research.

newspaper photo of nelson mandela with a raised hand

Humanity, Equality and Peace: The Life and Vision of Nelson Mandela

July 18, 2022

VCU history student Nyah Graham talks with Assistant Professor Priscilla Shilaro about the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela.

grainy photo of Alfred William Robinson, Bedford, VA, U.S. Army, Vietnam War with image of american flag

Shrine of Memory Digital Projects

May 12, 2022

Students in History 351: America Since 1945 completed a video project in cooperation with the Virginia War Memorial's Shrine of Memory in honor of Virginians killed in action in World War II, Korea, or Vietnam.

Melis Hafez

Inventing Laziness: The Culture of Productivity in Late Ottoman Society

May 2, 2022

In her first monograph, Professor Melis Hafez, a historian of the nineteenth century Ottoman Empire, worked on exploring the concept of laziness, and how it was perceived as a social disease.

Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground

Listing a Threatened Burial Ground on the National Register of Historic Places

April 29, 2022

Professor Ryan Smith details the collaborative efforts behind nominating Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground for the National Register of Historic Places.

Michael Dickinson

Almost Dead: A story of resistance and survival

April 28, 2022

In “Almost Dead” Michael Dickinson, Ph.D. examines how the thousands of captives who lived, bled and resisted in the urban Atlantic survived to form dynamic communities and hold on to their humanity.