The Southern Historical Association is a professional academic organization of historians focusing on the
history of the Southern United States
The history of the Southern United States spans back thousands of years to the first evidence of human occupation. The Paleo-Indians were the first peoples to inhabit the Americas and what would become the Southern United States. By the time E ...
. It was organized on November 2, 1934. Its objectives are the promotion of interest and research in Southern history, the collection and preservation of the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
's historical records, and the encouragement of state and local historical societies in the South. As a secondary purpose the organization fosters the teaching and study of all areas of history in the South.
History
The association was preceded by another, with a similar name--the
Southern History Association, a short-lived organization with a very academic aspect to it; it folded in 1909 after a little over a decade. A new organization devoted to the same subject matter was conceived in the 1920s by
Frederick Jackson Turner
Frederick Jackson Turner (November 14, 1861 – March 14, 1932) was an American historian during the early 20th century, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison until 1910, and then Harvard University. He was known primarily for his front ...
, who urged his doctoral student
Thomas Perkins Abernethy
Thomas Perkins Abernethy (August 25, 1890 – November 12, 1975) was an American historian and academic. He served as a professor of early American history at a number of universities throughout the South and Southwest United States. He ma ...
to build a network that could sustain an organization similar to the
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world, claiming over 10,000 members. Founded in 1884, AHA works to protect academic free ...
. Two developments, according to historian and later SHA president Bethany Johnson, led to the association's founding: the growing desire since the late 19th century among Southern historians to professionalize, and the
Southern Renaissance, which saw the formation of many professional academic societies in the South.
Among the association founders were
Thomas Perkins Abernethy
Thomas Perkins Abernethy (August 25, 1890 – November 12, 1975) was an American historian and academic. He served as a professor of early American history at a number of universities throughout the South and Southwest United States. He ma ...
,
W. Darrell Overdyke of
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a private liberal arts college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi Rive ...
, and
Philip M. Hamer of the
National Archives
National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention.
Conceptual development
From the Middle Ages i ...
.
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''The Journal of Southern History''
The SHA publishes ''The'' ''Journal of Southern History''. John B. Boles was one of the editors.
The SHA maintains two permanent offices: the editorial offices, located at Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres.
Rice University comp ...
, and the secretary-treasurer's office, located at the University of Georgia
The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
.
Presidents
* Charles P. Roland (1981)
* Carl Degler (1986)
* Anne Firor Scott (1989)
* Jack Temple Kirby (d. 2009)
* William J. Cooper (2009-)
References
Further reading
*
External links
Southern Historical Association website
''Journal of Southern History'' web page
Organizations established in 1934
Historical societies of the United States
History of the Southern United States
American historians
{{US-historian-stub