Fall 2026 Course Offerings
From the Roman Republic to European Magic and Witchcraft to Colonial Latin America to African Civilizations to Violence in the American West: We've got it all!
For more detailed descriptions of the History Department's course offerings for Fall 2026, check:
Geaux Teach
Graduates of Geaux Teach, the Major in History with a Concentration in Secondary Education, pose with program advisor Prof. Zevi Gutfreund (far right). For information on the Secondary Education history program: Geaux Teach
Congratulations to Julia Palmer, Class of 2024 and Geaux Teach alumna, who was named New Teacher of the Year at Zachary High School in fall 2024. Zachary High social media posted:
**2024 Teacher of the Year: Julia Palmer**
In such a brief time, you have demonstrated an incredible talent for teaching, and
we eagerly anticipate the amazing journey ahead of you!
High honor for LSU history professor
Boyd Professor Suzanne Marchand is the current president of the American Historical Association, the premier professional organization for historians in the United States. Prof. Marchand served as vice-president of the organization in 2025. Congratulations to Dr. Marchand on this incredible achievement!
The Sky's the Limit for our Recent PhD Students
Congratulations to Logan Istre (PhD 2026) who was chosen for a prestigious 2026-2027 postdoctoral research and teaching fellowship at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He received one of three fellowships at Stanford from an applicant pool of over 300. Dr. Istre successfully defended his dissertation in January 2026. Way to geaux Logan!
Congratulations to Andrea Wisniewski (PhD 2025) whose dissertation, “Catholics in Name Only: Weimar Catholic Identity and the Thought of the DNVP Reich Catholic Committee,” was selected as the runner-up of the 2025 LSU Alumni Association Distinguished Dissertation Award in Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. Only one runner-up is designated in this category. Way to geaux Dr. Wisniewski!
LSU History PhD student named Louisiana History Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to PhD student Rex Jones who was named the 2025 Louisiana History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Jones is a part-time student with the LSU History PhD program and a full-time teacher of history at Episcopal School of Acadiana in Cade, LA. Way to go Rex!
Recent Faculty Books
See our Book News page for a more complete list of recent books by faculty and former graduate students
Claiming the Nation: The Politics of Nationalism in Postcolonial Brazil
Time and again, in heated debates over Brazil's political economy and democracy, one disputed concept emerges: nationalism. Claiming the Nation traces the contested history of the nationalist label in twentieth-century Brazil, examining how both progressive and conservative forces invoked national interest to advance divergent political agendas. Focusing on the period from the 1920s through the end of military rule in 1985, Andre Pagliarini demonstrates how progressive reformers linked nationalism to social justice, economic sovereignty, and mass participation, while right-wing elites often used it to justify hierarchy and technocratic governance. Through detailed analysis of political debates, media, and activism, the book shows how competing attempts to define and claim nationalism in the public square shaped Brazil’s civic identity, development, and political trajectory during the past one hundred years. Ultimately, Pagliarini unveils the enduring ways in which control over nationalist discourse became a proxy for determining who legitimately represented the nation and its future.
University of California Press, 2026
He Has the People: Abraham Lincoln and the Election of 1860
James McPherson calls the election of 1860 "undeniably the most important--and pivotal--in all of American history." The nation was not merely divided over the issue of slavery; the opposing camps were at each other's throats. The moment John Brown and his men attacked the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in the fall of 1859 the compromises that had stitched the country together for decades unraveled. The presidential election was therefore about more than who the next president would be. It was about how soon war would follow his inauguration.
Using the writings and story of Murat Halstead, the nation's first campaign journalist, as well as previously unused documents from Lincoln's campaign manager, Jonathan Earle captures the full drama of the 1860 election. He shows how Lincoln, a one-time Congressman from Illinois, and a dark horse against the more established Stephen Douglas, the Democratic frontrunner, and William Henry Seward, the presumptive Republican nominee, got the people and votes he needed to win in a protracted yet furiously disputed election cycle.
Earle focuses on the chaotic campaigns themselves, as political bosses, candidates, and their self-appointed partisans took politicking in directions that at times resembled paramilitary exercises more than campaign events. In the end, Lincoln and his associates ran a brilliant campaign, leveraging Northern anger, growing antislavery sentiment, and divisions within both the Democratic Party and the nation as a whole. His platform was built on his speeches, which projected a vision for how the nation would persevere in the coming crisis. Behind the commanding rhetoric, however, was sophisticated and very modern political machinery. He Has the People provides an engaging historical narrative and a fresh appraisal of the most consequential of all presidential elections.
Postcolonial Politics in Sierra Leone
This book investigates the historical trajectory of postcolonial Sierra Leone, especially the persistence of a culture of political violence and autocratic tendencies.
Regarded as a litmus test for the consolidation of democracy in postwar Sierra Leone, the 2023 national polls instead became a stark reminder of the persistence of élite bickering, electoral malfeasance, autocratic political machinations, and violence. This book investigates how a culture of corruption, political violence, and autocracy crystallized in the decades following independence and has persisted into the modern day. Beginning with the colonial legacy and the turbulent SLPP government of Albert Margai and the NRC junta of Andrew Juxon-Smith following independence, the book goes on to consider how Siaka Stevens harnessed Sierra Leone’s political problems for his own advantage. Stevens’s APC regime inflicted a culture of political violence that led to the eleven-year civil war and has persisted despite popular, national and international protests.
Drawing on extensive archival research as well as the author’s own interviews, this book will be an important read for researchers of West African history and politics.
Humanitarianism: A Very Short Introduction
This book traces the events and trends that defined modern humanitarianism, from theeighteenth century up to the present day. It describes the origins of international humanitarian action, the development of major humanitarian organizations and movements, the evolution of international humanitarian law, and the expansion of the international humanitarian sector. It examines organized efforts to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity amid major conflicts, disasters, refugee crises, and other humanitarian emergencies. Attuned to the distinctions between wartime, postwar, and non-conflict situations, Irwin assesses criticisms waged against humanitarian actions and debates over the legitimacy of humanitarian interventions. She also teases out the complex relationship between humanitarianism, human rights, and international development. Finally, this book surveys diverse and competing humanitarian traditions throughout the world, placing humanitarian ideals and practices in a global context.
Oxford University Press, 2026
History professor featured on NPR
Fred C. Frey Professor of History Dr. Aaron Sheehan-Dean was featured on the April 27 episode of NPR's "Louisiana Considered," where he discussed the capture of New Orleans during the Civil War.
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