History professor elected into Society of American Historians

Peter Kolchin, Henry Clay Reed professor of history at the university, has been elected into the Society of American Historians in recognition of the notable work he has accomplished within his field.

SAH, an elite association made up of 250 academic historians and 16 professional publishers, strives to promote literary distinction in the writing of history.

Mark C. Carnes, SAH executive secretary and Ann Whitney Olin, professor of History at Barnard College, Columbia University, said membership is dependent on one's remarkable literary quality and is limited by election in which fellow society members vote.

"Obviously, the writer must say something important, but the focus ?here is on saying it well," Carnes said.

Among its other activities, the SAH awards prizes for such distinctions as best book in American history, the Parkman Prize; best dissertation, the Nevins Prize; and best novel in American history, the Cooper prize.

Kolchin who has been teaching at the university for 22 years, stated in an e-mail message that he feels honored for his appointment as a member of SAH.

"I consider both my scholarly publications and my teaching as prized accomplishments," Kolchin said. "I am grateful for the recognition that these accomplishments have received at UD, both by my appointment as Henry Clay Reed Professor and by my election to the University's Francis Alison Society."

However, he said he does not see his election into the society as an achievement.

"Achievement is not quite the right word to describing being elected to the SAH," Kolchin said. "It is not something I thought about or strove for; indeed, until I was chosen I didn't even know I was being considered. I did, however, feel honored to be elected."

He said he specializes in the history of slavery and emancipation, both in the United States and in broad comparative perspective.

One of Kolchin's works titled "Unfree Labor: American Slavery and Russian Serfdom" (1987), on which Kolchin in currently working on a second edition dealing with emancipation and its aftermath in the southern United States and Russia, has won a number of prizes, including the Bancroft Prize.

Christine Heyrman, professor of history at the university and a member of the Society of American Historians' Executive Board, spoke of Kolchin's work as world renowned.

"Professor Kolchin has an international reputation for his work on slavery, not just in the US," Heyrman said.

She said she feels proud to have a fellow university colleague in SAH.

"We have been friends for over 20 years," Heyrman said. "I look forward to sharing in the Society with him.

"Once you are a member of SAH you can't lose it," she said. "It's really a way for your own peers to praise your work. I am one of Kolchin's great admirers."

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