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The Institute for Historical Study

P. O. Box 5743  ·  Berkeley, California  94705

E-mail: instituteforhistoricalstudy@tihs.org

 

AN OVERVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Institute for Historical Study is a new form of scholarly community, dedicated to sharing research and ideas and to providing a public forum for the discussion of history.

A nonprofit, public benefit corporation chartered by the State of California, the Institute for Historical Study promotes interchange between independent and academically affiliated scholars in a wide range of historical fields. Its aims are threefold:

to promote the study and discussion of history as a field of knowledge outside the traditional classroom setting and in the broader public arena.

to promote the production of fine historical scholarship.

to promote such scholarship not only in areas of traditional historical focus, but in areas of the past largely unresearched and unexplored.
HISTORY OF THE
INSTITUTE		 The Institute for Historical Study was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1980. The needs of independent scholars were, and have remained a primary concern, but the membership has always included a number of academically affiliated scholars. Most of the current 130 members live in northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.

In addition to serving its members and presenting public programs, the Institute has also been in the forefront of the independent scholarship movement. In 1989, members of the Institute were instrumental in founding the National Coalition of Independent Scholars, of which the Institute is now an affiliate.
MEMBERSHIP
BENEFITS		 Members have a forum for the presentation of their work and the opportunity, through informal monthly meetings, study groups, and social events, to meet scholars with similar interests. They receive the quarterly Newsletter and an annual roster of members. The Institute acts as a fiscal agent for members applying for grants and offers assistance with grant applications. Members may obtain cards for the University of California Berkeley libraries at a discount.
MEMBERSHIP
QUALIFICATIONS		 Membership in the Institute is open to all men and women who are in agreement with its aims and who have a commitment to historical study. This commitment may be demonstrated in one or more of the following ways: graduate degree or work in history or an historical discipline plus other indications of an interest in history: graduate work in history plus other indications of scholarly interest such as training for a docent position in a historical field, publications, films, exhibits, or other works of scholarly merit. If a scholar in another field, indications of serious historical interests.

Membership dues are $35. Dues assistance is available for those who need it.

Would you like to join us?  Click here for an application to send us. For further  information write to:   Membership Chair, The Institute for Historical Study, P. O. Box 5743, Berkeley, California 94705, or send an e-mail to our Membership Chair: pmellini@yahoo.com.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS -- 2008  Michael Griffith, President
 Richard Herr,Vice President
Monica Clyde, Secretary
Joanne Lafler, Treasurer
Jules Becker
Peter Mellini, Membership Chair
Francesca Miller
John Rusk
Patricia Swenson
PROGRAM The heart of Institute activities is the monthly work-in-progress meeting, where members share their work and receive comments. The presentation may be in the form of a paper to be delivered later at a conference; an outline of a longer work; a draft of a chapter or article; a rough cut of a video; or an idea looking for a format. These popular meetings are held in members' homes in the San Francisco Bay Area: San Francisco, the East Bay, Marin County, or on the Peninsula.
Recent programs aimed at a broader public have dealt with California immigration history, literary San Francisco, Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Western movie. These programs were co-sponsored with other institutions, including International House, the Jewish Community Relations Council, Mills College, UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University, the San Francisco Labor Archives, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Seminars and
Conferences		 The Institute mounts seminars for its members, taught by one or several members. These have sometimes led to public programs, as in the case of a seminar on Berlin in the Twenties, which resulted in a lecture series at the Goethe Institute, or one on the French Revolution, which generated a film series at the Legion of Honor and an exhibit at the University of California Berkeley Library.

The Institute also organizes conferences for independent scholars, workshops on topics like publishing, orientations to various libraries and archives, and tours of monuments and exhibits. It assists members in forming panels for regional conferences.
Study Groups Additionally, the Institute sponsors the following study groups:

History Play Reading.

Medieval Study Group.

Biography Writers

California Roundtable.
Affiliated Organizations The Institute for Historical Study is affiliated with the following scholarly organizations:

          American Historical Association.

          The National Coalition for History.

          The National Coalition of Independent Scholars.

Copyright 1999-2008 The Institute for Historical Study.