Latest Entries
From the Editors

In the Summer Issue of Lapham’s Quarterly

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Readers of HistPhil might be interested in the current issue of Lapham’s Quarterly. For those not familiar with the publication, it’s an offshoot of the “Readings” section of Harper’s Magazine, where Lewis Lapham reigned as the long-serving editor. Each Quarterly features a collection of readings, culled from historical sources, based around a particular theme, and this … Continue reading →

From the Editors

OHSU Meets Knight’s $500 Million Challenge Grant: A Historical Reflection

Posted on by • Leave a comment

The big news from Oregon Health and Science University is that they have met Phil Knight’s $500 million challenge grant. To celebrate, take a look at the recent article that Benjamin Soskis, a HistPhil co-editor, wrote for the Chronicle of Philanthropy on the history and contemporary significance of challenge grants. Challenge grants are “in many respects, … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Historical Research

Part II: Debating the Basis of American Civil Society, Waves of Debate about Religion and Virtue

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Editors’ Note: Yesterday, we published Part One of David C. Hammack‘s two-part contribution. Below is Part Two: “Debating the Basis of American Civil Society, Waves of Debate about Religion and Virtue.” Earlier posts under this general dialogue on the field of philanthropic history include: Stan Katz’s “The Clinton Foundation in Historical Perspective”; Maribel Morey’s “Increasing the Visibility of Philanthropy among … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Historical Research

Waves of Historical Interest in Philanthropy and Civil Society

Posted on by • 2 Comments

Editors’ Note: We continue with our discussion of the field with this two-part contribution by historian David C. Hammack. Today, we include Part One: “Waves of Historical Interest in Philanthropy and Civil Society.” Tomorrow, we will post Part Two: “Debating the Basis of American Civil Society, Waves of Debate about Religion and Virtue.” Earlier posts under this … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Historical Research

Philanthropic History and a Healthy Heterodoxy

Posted on by • 3 Comments

Yesterday, the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s Kevin Bolduc directed our attention to a recent article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review that he considered “ripe for historical insight.” HistPhil is never one to back away from a challenge—to say nothing of the fact that this was precisely the sort of conversation between historians, practitioners, and … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Historical Research

Q&A with Historian Olivier Zunz

Posted on by • 1 Comment

Editors’ Note: In our introduction to the blog, we said that the site will be structured around certain themes and that we would start off with a discussion on the state of the field. HistPhil’s Stan Katz launched this dialogue last week by asking how a historical perspective can inform our understanding of the Clinton Foundation; providing an example of how this field … Continue reading →

Philanthropy and Historical Research

Increasing the Visibility of Philanthropy among U.S. Historians

Posted on by • 3 Comments

Editors’ Note: In “Introducing HistPhil,” we mentioned that the site will be structured around certain themes and that we would start off with a discussion on the state of the field. HistPhil co-founder Stan Katz launched this dialogue earlier this week by asking how a historical perspective can inform our understanding of the Clinton Foundation; providing an example of how this field … Continue reading →

New Works in the Field

Upcoming SHAFR Meeting

Posted on by • 1 Comment

Editors’ Note: Several sessions of interest to readers will take place at the upcoming meeting of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) next week in DC. Below, we are including just a few that seemed particularly relevant to historians of philanthropy.  SHAFR, 2015 Annual Meeting (Thurs., June 25- Sat., June 27) Thursday, June 25, 11:45am-1:30pm Panel 4: … Continue reading →

New Works in the Field

In the June Issues of the AHR and NVSQ

Posted on by • Leave a comment

(Editors’ Note: In “Introducing HistPhil,” we said that we will keep track of events, articles, and books of interest to the field. This is our first blog post in that vein.)  In the current issue of The American Historical Review, William I. Hitchcock reviews Bruno Cabanes’s The Great War and the Origins of Humanitarianism, 1918-1924 (NYC: Cambridge University … Continue reading →