Pacific Historical Review

09/25/2025

Congratulations to PHR author Travis Hancock, co-winner of the Abbott-Johnson Award of the Pacific Coast Branch, American Historical Assoc. Hancock's research illuminates the complex life of George Gilley, a Native Hawaiian whaling captain.

Portland State University Department of History Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Uncovering the history of Kāpena (Captain) George Gilley, the first Native Hawaiian known to lead whaling expeditions.

09/17/2025

Congratulations to Iker Saitua. His PHR article on Basque and Mexican sheepherders weaves together histories of race, labor, and immigration. Saitua received the Cherny Prize of the Pacific Coast Branch-American Historical Association.

Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Portland State University Department of History

Who counts as a "skilled" worker for immigration purposes, and who doesn't and why?

08/27/2025

An interview with Katherine Marino on the history of anti-fascist activism by domestic workers. Prof. Marino's PHR article on Rosa Rayside received honorable mention for the Cherny Award of the PCB-AHA, for the best article in U.S. labor or political history. Congratulations! https://www.ucpress.edu/blog-posts/domestic-worker-activism-and-anti-fascism-a-q-a-with-katherine-m-marino

Portland State University Department of History
University of California Press
Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
UCLA History Department

Who speaks out against fascism—is it only the most powerful or politically connected who can do so, or is it those whose rights are most in danger?

08/08/2025

Congratulations Katherine Marino! Her groundbreaking article on Rosa Rayside received honorable mention for the Robert W. Cherny Award of the PCB-AHA. Through Rosa Rayside, Marino uncovers links between the histories of domestic worker activism and anti-fascism, both internationally and in the US. For a limited time, the article is paywall-free at: https://online.ucpress.edu/phr/article/93/3/332/202689/Rosa-Rayside-and-Domestic-Workers-in-the-Fight

University of California Press Portland State University Department of History Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences UCLA History Department

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08/08/2025

Basque immigrants, Mexican labor, and the history of sheep grazing in the US West--Iker Saitua's PHR article brings together these interwoven histories, providing a new perspective on race, labor, and the environment. The article just won the Robert W. Cherny Award of the PCB-AHA--congratulations to Dr. Saitua! In celebration, we've removed the paywall from "Labor Freezing: Spanish-Basque Immigrants, Mexican Labor, and the Sheepherder Shortage in the American West, for a limited time: https://online.ucpress.edu/phr/article/93/2/263/200448/Labor-Freezing-Spanish-Basque-Immigrants-Mexican

University of California Press Portland State University Department of History Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

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08/07/2025

Travis Hancock's PHR article provides the first full biographical account of history’s only known Native Hawaiian whaling captain, a life story ranging across the entire North Pacific, throughout the Bering Sea, and into the Arctic Circle. The article is the co-winner of the first-ever Abbott Johnson Award of the PCB-AHA--created by PSU emeritus professors Carl Abbott and David Johnson for the best journal article in the history of the Pacific world, its peoples, and relations. https://doi.org/10.1525/phr.2024.93.1.1

Portland State University Department of History Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences PSU College of Urban and Public Affairs University of California Press

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08/05/2025

Cameron Blevins and Annelise Heinz used maps and an underground magazine to illuminate le***an history. Their innovative article in PHR has won multiple prizes, including the Louis Knott Koontz Memorial Award at last weekend's PCB-AHA conference.

Portland State University Department of History Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Historians Cameron Blevins and Annelise Heinz use digital mapping technology to uncover a hidden geography of le***an life in the 1970s and 1980s, tracing patterns of connection among le***an women in urban areas, small towns, and rural America.

08/04/2025

Jonathan van Harmelen's recent PHR article about epidemics and quarantines at War Relocation Authority Camps received the W. Turrentine Jackson (Article) Prize of the PCB-AHA. Check out his recent interview with University of California Press about medical history and Japanese American incarceration.

Portland State University Department of History

Inspired by the COVID pandemic and his ongoing research on Japanese American history, historian Jonathan van Harmelen investigates the medical history of the Japanese American incarceration during World War II.

07/09/2025

David-Paul Hedberg on moving an airplane into the Oregon Historical Society, co-curating a history exhibit, and riding in his grandfather's plane as a child. Dave is a former PHR editorial fellow and an alum of Portland State University Department of History.

What does it take to move an airplane into a museum? In this recent post on “Dear Oregon,” OHS Production Editor Jenny DuVander interviews historian David-Paul B. Hedberg, co-curator of the exhibition “She Flies with Her Own Wings.” In the interview, Hedberg describes the tricky ballet of moves that landed the Oregon-built aircraft — affectionately called “Wimpy” — safely in the exhibition. At around 200 pounds, Wimpy is an iconic, feather-light aircraft that is the centerpiece of the exhibition, which tells the story of the “golden age” of aviation in Oregon. Hedberg also highlights the bold women and men behind the airplanes, whose voices — captured in hundreds of hours of oral histories — shaped the exhibition.

https://www.ohs.org/blog/a-tricky-maneuver.cfm

06/26/2025

Always a treat to see what Portland State University Department of History MA and former PHR fellow David-Paul Hedberg is up to. Thanks for helping history to take flight, Dave!

Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

She Flies with Her Own Wings co-curator David-Paul Hedberg introduces tonight’s panel beneath a photo of himself with his grandfather and his grandfather’s plane. Dave and his grandfather spent countless hours in the Oregon skies, often stopping for visits with many of the people whose stories are featured in the exhibit. Thanks to the standing-room-only crowd who joined us for this special evening!

06/06/2025

Great work, Charles Huxley. PHR's Caroline P. Stoel Editorial Fellow received the 2025 Friends of History Award for Outstanding Graduate Seminar Paper, in addition to the award for the highest graduate GPA in history. Charlie has been part of the PHR team for two years now, he'll receive his M.A. in history next week. Congratulations!

Portland State University Department of History Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

06/06/2025

Congratulations to PHR fellow Charleen Kepner for her honorable mention for an Honors College Community Engagment Award. Charleen is an undergrad at the PSU Honors College and about to graduate with a BA in Child, Youth, and Family Services. Next fall, she'll continue at Portland State to pursue a graduate certificate in Infant and Toddler Mental Health. Charleen has been our John and LaRee Caughey Fellow for the past two years, managing the workflow of PHR's book reviews, in addition to other editing responsibilities. Congratulations Charleen!

Portland State University Department of History Portland State University College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Portland State University-Honors