State of the Field: Latin American History

Ariel David Greenberg Just as Latin American history has been influenced by broader shifts in the field of history towards subjects such as the study of family, epidemics, and science, the field of Latin American history is increasingly being shaped by systems theory in analyzing the first genuinely global highways and institutions. It analyzes and interrogates the networks that operated as the highways of the … Continue reading State of the Field: Latin American History

The Wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and its Legacy in the Great Lakes

Madi Campbell November 10, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and its legacy undoubtedly continues to haunt Lake Superior. Once the largest Great Lakes freighter, the doomed ship was famously immortalized in Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” solidifying its status as a folk symbol. Each year, communities around the lake … Continue reading The Wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and its Legacy in the Great Lakes

A Local History of Hong Kong

Shawn Liu Central Asia has long been imagined less as a place and more as a passage. In travelogues, school maps, and even much scholarship, it appears as a corridor—the Silk Road that carried goods and ideas between “centers” like China, Persia, or Europe. Historian Adeeb Khalid warns against this flattening: to see Central Asia only as a “road between somewhere and somewhere else” erases … Continue reading A Local History of Hong Kong

A Reading List in Honor of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month

Patrick Grey To celebrate the start of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, The Footnote reviewed some classic and recent works spotlighting the history, culture, and work of Latinx people. Diaspora, resistance, and solidarity are some of the major themes in this book list. We hope that our readers can use this list to explore the contributions of Latinx people within and outside of the academy, in the … Continue reading A Reading List in Honor of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month

Graduating MAGIC Students Reflect on their Experiences

As the year comes to a close, The Footnote invited graduating MAGIC students to reflect on their academic and personal journeys at Georgetown. Hear from four of them below! Having made it to the finish line, what advice would you give to incoming students? Maddie Densmore: Everybody gets imposter syndrome at some point here. Don’t let it get to you; everyone grows so much during … Continue reading Graduating MAGIC Students Reflect on their Experiences

Graduate Students Reflect on Their Summer Research

From DC to Krakow, Georgetown history graduate students spent their summers conducting research across the globe. We sat down with Megan Huang (second-year MA), Maddie Densmore (second-year MA), and Megan Emery (second-year PhD) to discuss their experiences and tips and demystify the historical research process.  Tell us about your summer research! What is your research topic and where did you go? Megan Huang: I interned … Continue reading Graduate Students Reflect on Their Summer Research

Mapping History: Using ArcGIS to Make History More Accessible

Rae Neville “A map does not just chart, it unlocks and formulates meaning; it forms bridges between here and there, between disparate ideas that we did not know were previously connected.”  – Reif Larsen, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet Mapping and other forms of digital visualization offer unique opportunities to academics wishing to make their work more accessible to the public. As a historian … Continue reading Mapping History: Using ArcGIS to Make History More Accessible

From the Footnote Archives: Staff Favorites

Some of the Footnote staff members have gone back through the archives to find some of our favorite articles from the past few years! Hopefully we will inspire you to take a journey back through the Footnote catalog and recall some of your favorites, too. Rae Neville, Outreach Coordinator: “Romance and Nostalgia in the Coffeehouse” by Kathleen Walsh Coffee is a huge part of my … Continue reading From the Footnote Archives: Staff Favorites

What’s on my Cherry Blossom Playlist?

A personal exploration of the music history behind my favorite songs for spring! Sareena Dubey Set to the backdrop of billowing cherry blossom petals and a Tidal Basin burgeoning with people, Masayoshi Takanaka’s song “Beleza Pula” interrupts the peace with the sharply spoken phrase “Beleza Pula, Malandro!” The distinct birdlike sound of the cuica contrasts with the soft background vocals which trail the upbeat melody … Continue reading What’s on my Cherry Blossom Playlist?

Scalpel and Prism: Social Science and the Humanities in the Historian’s Toolkit

Zhenhao (Oscar) Yu Historian Marc Bloch argues that young colleagues should not pigeonhole themselves in the category of either social science or humanities. In his view, historians are quintessential scientists because they collaborate with scientists in other fields and incorporate new methodologies into their studies. They use science as a scalpel to dissect dramatic themes such as geological or linguistic changes. In their role as … Continue reading Scalpel and Prism: Social Science and the Humanities in the Historian’s Toolkit