Announcements and Events
Call for nominations for Peace History Society book and article prizes
The Peace History Society (PHS) seeks nominations for the following prizes. All submissions are due May 15, 2025.
Founded in 1964, the PHS aims to encourage and coordinate national and international scholarly work to explore and articulate the conditions and causes of peace and war, and to communicate the findings of scholarly work to the public.
For more information about the prizes and the past winners, please visit our website: peacehistorysociety.org
Scott Bills Memorial Prize in Peace History
The Peace History Society invites nominations (including self-nominations) for the Scott Bills Memorial Prize for a first book or a dissertation in English on a topic related to peace history published in 2023 or 2024. For books with different electronic and print publication dates, please submit based on the date the book appears in print. although books appearing only in electronic format are also eligible. The Prize, awarded biennially, carries a cash award of $500.
Please send a brief nomination letter (listing the author’s name, email address, book title, and publication information) to bills@peacehistorysociety.org with “Scott Bills Memorial Prize entry” in the email subject line. Upon receipt, you will receive a confirmation email containing the committee members’ mailing addresses. Please then send a copy of the nominated book to each member. Nominees who do not send a copy of their submission to all members of the prize committee may be deemed ineligible for the award. The committee’s strong preference is for books to be submitted in print format, but electronic submissions will be accepted. For books submitted electronically, please send it to bills@peacehistorysociety.org with “Scott Bills Memorial Prize e-book submission” in the email subject line.
The committee members for the 2023-24 cycle are as follows:
• Michaelle Tusan (Chair)
• Roger Peace
• Wendy Chmielewski
Elise M. Boulding Prize in Peace History
The Peace History Society invites nominations (including self-nominations) for the Elise Boulding Prize in Peace History for an outstanding English-language nonfiction book by a single author in the field of Peace History published in 2023 or 2024. For books with different electronic and print publication dates, please submit based on the date the book appears in print, although books appearing only in electronic format are also eligible. First books and dissertations are not eligible. This prize, awarded biennially, carries a cash award of $500.
Please send a brief nomination letter (listing the author’s name, email address, book title, and publication information) to boulding@peacehistorysociety.org with “Elise M. Boulding Prize entry” in the email subject line. Upon receipt, you will receive a confirmation email containing the committee members’ mailing addresses. Please then send a copy of the nominated book to each member. Nominees who do not send a copy of their submission to all members of the prize committee may be deemed ineligible for the award. The committee’s strong preference is for books to be submitted in print format, but electronic submissions will be accepted. For books submitted electronically, please send it to boulding@peacehistorysociety.org with “Elise M. Boulding Prize e-book submission” in the email subject line.
The committee members for the 2023-24 cycle are as follows:
• Victoria Wolcott (Chair)
• Tracy K’Meyer
• Deborah Buffton
Peace History Society Edited Book Prize
The Peace History Society invites nominations (including self-nominations) for an outstanding English-language edited book by one or more editors in the field of peace history, or peace studies or other disciplines with significant historical content. Eligible books include:
(1) edited/annotated editions of letters, diaries, documents, and other primary sources; (2) edited volumes comprised of individual chapters by scholars or others; and (3) edited volumes comprised of a combination of primary and secondary sources.
The two most important criteria in assessing nominations are (1) the intellectual work and contributions of the editor(s), including framing, contextualizing, assembling, editing, and/or annotating; and (2) the significance of the book in advancing new perspectives and/or filling significant gaps in the literature. The committee will consider first editions of books only. Special issues of journals are not eligible for consideration. Volumes edited by committee members or that contain articles by committee members are ineligible.
This prize is awarded biennially (every 2 years). The Prize carries a commemorative plaque and the opportunity for a book forum in Peace & Change, the journal of the Peace History Society. The inaugural prize (to be awarded in 2025) will consider edited volumes published in 2023 or 2024.
Please send a brief nomination letter (listing the author’s name, email address, book title, and publication information) to editedbook@peacehistorysociety.org with “Peace History Society Edited Book Prize entry” in the email subject line. Upon receipt, you will receive a confirmation email containing the committee members’ mailing addresses. Please then send a copy of the nominated book to each member. Nominees who do not send a copy of their submission to all members of the prize committee may be deemed ineligible for the award. The committee’s strong preference is for books to be submitted in print format, but electronic submissions will be accepted. For books submitted electronically, please send it to editedbook@peacehistorysociety.org with “Peace History Society Edited Book Prize e-book submission” in the email subject line.
The committee members for the 2023-24 cycle are as follows:
• Scott Bennett (Chair)
• Brian Mueller
• Leilah Danielson
DeBenedetti Prize in Peace History
The Peace History Society invites nominations (including self-nominations) for the DeBenedetti Prize in Peace History for an English language journal article, book chapter, or book introduction on peace history published in 2023 or 2024. For publications with different electronic and print publication dates, please submit based on the date the article or book chapter or introduction appears in print, although works appearing only in electronic format are also eligible. The prize, awarded biennially, carries a cash award of $500.
Articles may focus on the history of peace movements, the response of individuals to peace and war issues, the relationship between peace and other reform movements, gender issues in warfare and peacemaking, comparative analyses, and quantitative studies.
All nominations for the DeBenedetti Prize must be made electronically. Please send a brief nomination email (listing the author's name, email address, and full citation for the publication) along with a PDF attachment of the submission to debenedetti@peacehistorysociety.org. Nominees who do not send a copy of their submission may be deemed ineligible for the award. Please indicate “DeBenedetti Prize submission” in the email subject line.
The committee members for the 2023-24 cycle are as follows:
• Lauren Jannette (Chair)
• Harvey Strum
• Sakiko Kaiga
• Ronald Musto
FORTHCOMING SEMINAR
Public Seminar: Lord Lytton, India, and the Challenges of Imperial Defence
Date: 16 May 2025
Time: 10am-5pm
Venue: Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England
Fee: 40£, full time students 20£, all inclusive
[includes seminar, lunch and refreshments, guided tour of House and galleries, guide book]
The papers to be presented at this seminar are works in progress that explore various aspects of the challenges of Imperial Defence and the defence of India. Some of those challenges were launched during Lytton’s viceregal term, others advanced or complicated by it, and all remained central to the problem long after it. They present a range of connected themes: the Viceroy and his understanding of how best to secure India within the larger challenges of wider British Empire defence strategy; the long-running argument about the frontier and how it should shape defence strategy for India, an argument focused by the 2nd Afghan War (fought under Lytton’s higher direction) – the search for the so-called “scientific frontier”; and the tactics and techniques by which the British Indian Army sought, on the ground, to defend India, under dynamic political and doctrinal conditions.
Dr. Robert Lyman will be Moderator.
Papers will be presented by Mr. Timothy Howard, on Lytton and Imperial Defence, Prof. Brian P. Farrell, on The Search for a Scientific Frontier, and Dr. Adam Prime, on Indian Army Tactics and Defence of the Northwest Frontier.
For full program information and ticketing please visit: https://knebworthhouse.com
For full program and other information please email: hisbpf@nus.edu.sg
GRANT OPPORTUNITY
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum has a research grant opportunity that will be of interest to SMH members. Full details at https://wisvetsmuseum.com/learning-research/colonel-donald-heiliger-research-grant/ Application deadline is April 15.
DISSERTATION GRANT
John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis
The John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis at the Virginia Military Institute will award a $5,000 grant to a graduate student in history or a related field working on a doctoral dissertation in Cold War military history, broadly defined. The award promotes innovative scholarship on Cold War topics (for a list of past recipients/projects, see below). The Adams Center invites proposals in all subject areas—including international security affairs, military history, and strategic analysis. All periods of Cold War history are welcome. The prize is made possible through the generous support of John A. Adams and George J. Collins, Jr.
To be considered, graduate students must submit a brief proposal (prospectus) describing their doctoral research, a project timeline, and a curriculum vitae with a list of references. Applications should be delivered, electronically, to the Adams Center at adamscenter@vmi.edu by 4:00 p.m. Eastern, Friday, March 14, 2025.
Deadline for submissions: March 14, 2025
Send submissions to: adamscenter@vmi.edu
Questions? Contact:
Joel C. Christenson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director, John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, VA 24450
christensonjc@vmi.edu
540-464-7689
CALL FOR WRITERS
The Edwin Mellen Press
We are looking to increase our current pool of authors at The Edwin Mellen Press in the discipline of Military related studies. We are a non-subsidy academic publisher of scholarly books in the humanities and social sciences. Our sole criterion for publication is that a manuscript makes a contribution to scholarship. We publish monographs, critical editions, collections, translations, revisionist studies, constructive essays, bibliographies, dictionaries, reference guides and dissertations.
Mellen Press has published over 10,000 works in numerous disciplines, including military subjects of a scholarly nature. We publish 300 scholarly works a year. We offer recognition awards (for superior scholarship), royalties, authors maintain copyright, peer reviews and we have a world wide distribution network of libraries and direct sales. For submissions we are looking for scholarly works on a wide variety of Military issues and topics.
Please tell us about your work by emailing us at editor@mellenpress.com. Including your phone number will also be helpful. We will get back to you in 7 business days or less. For more information, please contact:
Edwin. Mellen Press
Philip Viverito/ Editor/Direct
editor@mellenpress.com
www.mellpress.com
SEEKING TRANSCRIBERS
Project CHECO: The Air Force Experience in Vietnam" (https://airforcehistory.net) seeks to textually digitize a semi-curated collection of documents held at the Air Force archive. It also supports research into the correlation between demographics and crowdsourcing effectiveness.
The Air Force created Project CHECO (Contemporary Historical Examination of Current Operations) in 1962 to analyze issues of immediate concern to various echelons of the service. Over the course of fifteen years, authors completed more than 250 reports on topics that included special operations, conventional air operations, rules of engagement, training, air base defense, and many others. Arguably, the Project CHECO reports represent the single-most comprehensive collection of Air Force-produced documents detailing its activities in the Vietnam War. The vast majority of these have been declassified and approved for public release, and only the publicly-available studies are being used for this project.
For the volunteer, this is a trifecta of opportunities: A chance to learn about U.S. Air Force history in Southeast Asia from the perspective of the service itself; contribute to digital history through the textual digitization of a portion of the USAF archive (similar to efforts by NARA, LOC, and the Smithsonian); and, last but not least, help me gather data for my dissertation!
The process is simple:
1. Fill out a demographic form (individual identities will not be associated with performance)
2. Review some directions for the site.
3. Correct or transcribe a document from the Air Force archive.
4. Take a survey.
THAT'S IT! If you have any questions, please contact me at dabyrd4@gmail.com. Thanks, Dave
SUBMISSIONS SOUGHT
Joint Force Quarterly seeks history submissions for its “Recall” Section
Joint Force Quarterly, published by the National Defense University Press, is looking for articles of 2,500 - 5,000 words or less for its Recall section. Recall focuses on historical issues often of contemporary relevance to the joint force. JFQ is the Chairman's joint military and security studies journal designed to inform and educate national security professionals on joint and integrated operations; whole of government contributions to national security policy and strategy; homeland security; and developments in training and joint military education to better equip America's military and security apparatus to meet tomorrow's challenges while protecting freedom today. Instructions for submission of articles is at: http://ndupress.ndu.edu/SubmitaManuscript.aspx. Any questions can be sent to JFQ1@ndu.edu.
