Educational Historian Charles Dorn Joins Prestigious Lectureship Program

The program was launched forty-five years ago by the Organization of American Historians (OAH) to advance and promote the study of the subject.

Dorn, who is the Barry N. Wish Professor of Social Studies, is among the more than two dozen historians from colleges and universities across North America named in the latest cohort of lecturers to be honored by the OAH.

“We are excited to announce the addition of twenty-seven dynamic speakers who bring a wealth of knowledge and diverse historical perspectives to the OAH Lectureship Program roster,” said the OAH in a prepared statement.

Through the program, the lecturers are offered as guest speakers for keynote addresses, book talks, workshops, panel discussions, historical conferences, and other events.

“The Organization of American Historians has been working tirelessly over the past several years to maintain the integrity of United States history, so it’s a very special honor to be selected to participate in the Organization's Lectureship Program,” remarked Dorn. “Through it,” he added, “I’ll hope to share my work with a variety of public audiences and institutions and to push back against illiberal efforts to use history for ideological ends.”

Dorn’s scholarship examines the civic purposes of education across a broad range of settings and forms, both in the US and abroad. Most students, he explained, don’t conceive of education as having a history. “They are often surprised that it does and are frequently intrigued by learning about that history, which almost always informs the historical context of their own educations.”

Dorn’s current book project, titled Learning through Nature, comprises a twentieth-century history of environmental education in America. “This history permeates contemporary efforts to educate young people for environmental awareness, for natural resource conservation and sustainable development, and for the purpose of combatting climate change. Yet this history is surprisingly unexplored. Learning through Nature directly addresses this shortcoming.”