Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations

Founded in 1967. Incorporated in 1972.

"The purpose of the corporation is: The maintenance of a Society of Historians for the study, advancement and dissemination of a knowledge of American Foreign Relations and the doing of all acts incidental to the accomplishment thereof." (From SHAFR's Certificate of Incorporation, May 22, 1972.)



Prizes and Fellowships

The Bernath Memorial Prizes

The Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize, the Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize, the Stuart L. Bernath Scholarly Article Prize, and the Stuart L. Bernath Dissertation Grant were established through the generosity of Dr. Gerald J. and Myrna F. Bernath, in memory of their late son, Stuart L. Bernath, Ph.D.

The Myrna F. Bernath Book Award and the Myrna F. Bernath Fellowship Award were established by the Bernath family to promote scholarship in diplomatic history by women.

The Stuart L. Bernath Book Prize

The purpose of the award is to recognize and encourage distinguished research and writing by scholars of American foreign relations. The prize of $2,500 is awarded annually to an author for his or her first book on any aspect of the history of American foreign relations.

Eligibility: The prize is to be awarded for a first book. The book must be a history of international relations. Biographies of statesmen and diplomats are eligible. General surveys, autobiographies, editions of essays and documents, and works that represent social science disciplines other than history are not eligible.

Procedures: Books may be nominated by the author, the publisher, or any member of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. A nominating letter explaining why the book deserves consideration must accompany each entry in the competition. Books will be judged primarily in regard to their contributions to scholarship. Winning books should have exceptional interpretative and analytical qualities. They should demonstrate mastery of primary material and relevant secondary works, and they should display careful organization and distinguished writing. Five copies of each book must be submitted with a letter of nomination.

The award will be announced during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians. The prize will be divided only when two superior books are so evenly matched that any other decision seems unsatisfactory to the selection committee. The committee will not award the prize if there is no book in the competition which meets the standards of excellence established for the prize.

To nominate a book published in 2008, send five copies of the book and a letter of nomination to Christopher Endy, Department of History, Martin Luther King Hall C 4065, California State University, 5151 State University Dr., Los Angeles CA 90032-8223 (email: candy@calstatela.edu). Books may be sent at any time during 2008, but must arrive by December 1, 2008.

Recent Winners:

2008 Erez Manela, The Wilsonian Moment: Self-Determination and the International Origins of Anticolonial Nationalism
2007
Paul A. Kramer, The Blood of Government : Race, Empire, The United States, & The Philippines
2006 Seth Jacobs, America's Miracle Man in Vietnam: Ngo Dinh Diem, Religion, Race, and U.S. Intervention in Southeast Asia, 1950-1957; Elizabeth Borgwardt, A New Deal for the World: America's Vision for Human Rights
2005
Christopher Endy, Cold War Holidays: American Tourism in France
2004
David Engerman, Modernization from the Other Shore: American Intellectuals and the Romance of Russian Development
2003
Matthew Connelly, A Diplomatic Revolution: Algeria's Fight for Independence and the Origins of the Post-Cold War Era
2002
Mary Renda, Taking Haiti: Military Occupation and the Culture of U.S. Imperialism, 1915-1940
2001 Joseph Henning, Outposts of Civilization: Race, Religion, and the Formative Years of American-Japanese Relations; Gregory Mitrovich, Undermining the Kremlin: America's Strategy to Subvert the Soviet Bloc, 1947-1956
2000 Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Transmission Impossible: American Journalism as Cultural Diplomacy in Postwar Germany, 1945-1955; Fredrik Logevall, Choosing War: The Lost Chance for Peace and the Escalation of War in Vietnam
1999 Eric Roorda, The Dictator Next Door: The Good Neighbor Policy and the Trujillo Regime in the Dominican Republic, 1930-1945; Kurkpatrick Dorsey, The Dawn of Conservation Diplomacy: U.S.-Canadian Wildlife Protection Treaties in the Progressive Era
1998 Penny Von Eschen, Race Against Empire: Black Americans and Anticolonialism, 1937-1957
1997 Carolyn Eisenberg, Drawing the Line: The American Decision to Divide Germany, 1944-1949
1996 Robert Buzzanco, Masters of War: Military Dissent and Politics in the Vietnam Era
1995 Reinhold Wagnleitner, Coca-colonization and the Cold War: The Cultural Mission of the United States in Austria after the Second World War; James Hershberg, James B. Conant: Harvard to Hiroshima and the Making of the Nuclear Age
1994 Tim Borstelmann, Apartheid's Reluctant Uncle: The United States and Southern Africa in the Early Cold War
1993 Elizabeth Cobbs, The Rich Neighbor Policy: Rockefeller and Kaiser in Brazil
1992 Thomas Schwartz, America's Germany: John J. McCloy and the Federal Republic of Germany
1991 Gordon Chang, Friends and Enemies: The United States, China, and the Soviet Union, 1948-1972
1990 Walter Hixson, George F. Kennan: Cold War Iconoclast; Anders Stephanson, Kennan and the Art of Foreign Policy

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The Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize

The Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize recognizes and encourages excellence in teaching and research in the field of foreign relations by younger scholars. The prize of $500 is awarded annually.

Eligibility: The prize is open to any person under forty-one years of age or within ten years of the receipt of the PhD whose scholarly achievements represent excellence in teaching and research. Nominations may be made by any member of SHAFR or of any other established history, political science, or journalism department or organization.

Procedures: Nominations, in the form of a letter and the nominee's c.v., should be sent to the Chair of the Bernath Lecture Committee. The nominating letter should discuss evidence of the nominee's excellence in teaching and research.

The award is announced during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians (OAH). The winner of the prize will deliver a lecture during the SHAFR luncheon at the next year's OAH annual meeting. The lecture should be comparable in style and scope to a SHAFR presidential address and should address broad issues of concern to students of American foreign policy, not the lecturer's specific research interests. The lecturer is awarded $500 plus up to $500 in travel expenses to the OAH, and his or her lecture is published in Diplomatic History.

To be considered for the 2009 award, nominations must be received by February 28, 2009. Nominations should be sent to Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, San Diego State University, History Department, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92182-6050 (email: ehoffman@mail.sdsu.edu).

Recent Winners:

2008 Paul Kramer
2007 Max Paul Friedman
2006 David Engerman
2005 Kristin Hoganson
2004 Kurk Dorsey
2003 Fredrik Logevall
2002 Jussi Hanhimaki
2001 Mary Ann Heiss
2000 Thomas Zeiler
1999 Odd Arne Westad
1998 Robert Buzzanco
1997 Peter Hahn
1996 Elizabeth Cobbs
1995 Douglas Brinkley
1993 Thomas Schwartz
1993 Diane Kunz
1992 Larry Berman
1991 H.W. Brands
1990 Robert McMahon
1989 Richard Immerman
1988 Stephen G. Rabe

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The Stuart L. Bernath Scholarly Article Prize

The purpose of the prize is to recognize and encourage distinguished research and writing by young scholars in the field of diplomatic relations. The prize of $1,000 is awarded annually to the author of a distinguished article appearing in a scholarly journal or edited book, on any topic in United States foreign relations.

Eligibility: The author must be under forty-one years of age or within ten years of receiving the Ph.D. at the time of the article's acceptance for publication. The article must be among the first six publications by the author. Previous winners of the Stuart L. Bernath Book Award or the Myrna F. Bernath Book Award are ineligible.

Procedures: All articles appearing in Diplomatic History will be automatically considered without nomination. Other nominations may be submitted by the author or by any member of SHAFR.

The award is presented during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians.

To nominate an article published in 2008, send three copies of the article and a letter of nomination to Michael Krenn, History Department , Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608 (email: krennml@appstate.edu). Deadline for nominations is February 1, 2009.

Recent Winners:

2008 Brian Delay
2007 Sarah Graham
2006 Sahr Conway-Lanz
2005 Lawrence A. Peskin
2004 Max Paul Friedman
2003 Amy L. S. Staples
2002 Seth Jacobs
2001 Joseph Manzione
2000 Paul Kramer
1999 Robert Dean; Michael Latham
1998 Nancy Bernhard
1997 Robert Vitalis
1996 David Fitzsimons
1995 Heike Bungert
1994 Fredrik Logevall
1993 Daniel P. O'C. Greene
1992 Marc Gallicchio
1991 William Weeks
1990 Lester J. Foltos
1989 Robert J. McMahon

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The Stuart L. Bernath Dissertation Grant

The Bernath Dissertation Grant of $4,000 is intended to help doctoral candidates defray expenses encountered in the writing of their dissertations. The grant is awarded annually at the SHAFR luncheon held during the annual meeting of the American Historical Association.

Applicants must be actively working on dissertations dealing with some aspect of U.S. foreign relations history. Applicants must have satisfactorily completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except the dissertation. Membership in SHAFR is not required.

Procedures: Self-nominations are expected. Applications must include: a dissertation prospectus including a paragraph or two on how funds would be expended (8-12 pages), a concise c.v. (1-2 pages), and a budget (1 page). Each applicant’s dissertation adviser must write a letter of recommendation, to be submitted separately. All applications and letters must be submitted via e-mail.

Applicants for the Bernath Dissertation Grant will also be considered for the Gelfand-Rappaport Fellowship.

Within eight months of receiving the award, each successful applicant must file with the SHAFR Business Office a brief report on how the funds were spent. Such reports will be considered for publication in Passport.

The deadline for applications for the 2009 grant is October 15, 2008. Application materials should be sent to Catherine Forslund, Rockford College, CForslund@Rockford.edu.

Recent Winners:

2008 Jennifer Miller
2007 Blair Woodard

2006 Peter Shulman, Robert McGreevey
2005 Jessica Chapman
2004 Meredith Oyen
2003 Adam Howard
2002 Larry Grubbs
2001 Hiroshi Kitamura; Clea Bunch
2000 Joseph Henning
1999 Elizabeth Kopelman Borgwardt; Deborah Kisatsky
1998 Max Friedman
1997 D'Arcy M. Brissman
1996 David Fitzsimons
1995 Amy L. S. Staples
1994 Delia Pergande
1993 R. Tyler Priest; Christian Ostermann
1992 Shannon Smith
1991 Eileen Scully
1990 David McFadden
1989 Thomas Zeiler; Russel Van Wyk
1988 Elizabeth Cobbs; Madhu Bhalla
1987 Janet M. Manson; Thomas M. Gaskin; W. Michael Weis; Michael Wala
1986 Valdinia C. Winn; Walter Hixson
1985 John Nielson

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SHAFR Dissertation Completion Fellowship

SHAFR invites applications for its dissertation completion fellowship.  SHAFR will make two, year-long awards, in the amount of $20,000 each, to support the writing and completion of the doctoral dissertation in the academic year 2008-09.  These highly competitive fellowships will support the most promising doctoral candidates in the final phase of completing their dissertations.
 
Applicants should be candidates for the PhD in a humanities or social science doctoral program (most likely history), must have been admitted to candidacy, and must be at the writing stage, with all substantial research completed by the time of the award.  Applicants should be working on a topic in the field of U.S. foreign relations history or international history, broadly defined, and must be current members of SHAFR.  Because successful applicants are expected to finish writing the dissertation during the tenure of the fellowship, they should not engage in teaching opportunities or extensive paid work, except at the discretion of the Fellowship Committee.  At the termination of the award period, recipients must provide a one page (250-word) report to the SHAFR Council on the use of the fellowship, to be considered for publication in Passport, the society newsletter.
 
The submission packet should include: 
·   a one page application letter describing the project's significance, the applicant's status, other support received or applied for  and the prospects for completion within the year
·   a three page (750 word) statement of the research
·   a curriculum vitae
·   a letter of recommendation from the primary doctoral advisor.
 
Applications should be sent by electronic mail to the chair of the Dissertation Completion Fellowship committee, Professor Emily S. Rosenberg, at erosenbe@uci.edu.  The subject line should clearly indicate LAST NAME: SHAFR DISSERTATION COMPLETION FELLOWSHIP. 
 
The deadline for submissions is 1 April 2008.  Applicants will receive notification about the outcome by 1 May 2008.  The names of the winners will be announced at the annual meeting in June.

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The Myrna F. Bernath Book Award

The purpose of this award is to encourage scholarship by women in U.S. foreign relations history. The prize of $2,500 is awarded biannually (even years) to the author of the best book written by a woman in the field and published during the preceding two calendar years.

Eligibility: Nominees should be women who have published distinguished books in U.S. foreign relations, transnational history, international history, peace studies, cultural interchange, and defense or strategic studies.

Procedures: Books may be nominated by the author, the publisher, or any member of SHAFR. A nominating letter explaining why the book deserves consideration must accompany each entry in the competition. Books will be judged primarily in regard to their contribution to scholarship. Three copies of each book (or page proofs) must be submitted with a letter of nomination.

The award is presented during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians.

The deadline for nominations for the 2010 prize is December 1, 2009. Submit required materials to Frank Ninkovich, St. Johns University, History Department, St. John Hall Room 244-G, St. John's University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY 11439 (Email: NINKOVIF@stjohns.edu).

Recent Winners:

2008 Barbara Keys, Globalizing Sport: National Rivalry and International Community in the 1930s
2006 Victoria de Grazia, Irresistible Empire: America's Advance through Twentieth-Century Europe
2004 Carol Anderson, Eyes off the Prize: The United Nations and the African American Struggle for Human Rights,
1944-1955
2002 Linda McFarland, Cold War Strategist: Stuart Symington and the Search for National Security
2000 Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Transmission Impossible : American Journalism as Cultural Diplomacy in Postwar Germany, 1945-1955; and
Cecelia Lynch, Beyond Appeasement: Interpreting Interwar Peace Movements in World Politics
1998 Brenda Gayle Plummer, Rising Wind: Black Americans and U.S. Foreign Affairs, 1935-1960
1996 Nancy Bernkopf Tucker, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and The United States, 1945-1992: Uncertain Friendships
1991 Diane Kunz, The Economic Diplomacy of the Suez Crisis; and Betty Unterberger, The United States, Revolutionary Russia, and the Rise of Czechoslovakia

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The Myrna F. Bernath Fellowship

The Myrna F. Bernath Fellowship was established by the Bernath family to promote scholarship in U.S. foreign relations history by women.

The Myrna Bernath Fellowship of $5,000 is intended to defray the costs of scholarly research by women. It is awarded biannually (in odd years) and announced at the SHAFR luncheon held during the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians.

Applications are welcomed from women at U.S. universities as well as women abroad who wish to do research in the United States. Preference will be given to graduate students and those within five years of completion of their Ph.D.s.

Procedures: Self-nominations are expected. Applications must include: a prospectus including a paragraph or two on how funds would be expended (8-12 pages), a concise c.v. (1-2 pages), and a budget (1 page). Each applicant must also arrange to have a letter of recommendation submitted separately. All applications and letters must be submitted via e-mail.

Within eight months of receiving the award, each successful applicant must file with the SHAFR Business Office a brief report on how the funds were spent. Such reports will be considered for publication in Passport.

The deadline for applications for the 2009 Fellowship is December 1, 2008. Send applications to Darlene Rivas, Pepperdine University, (Darlene.Rivas@pepperdine.edu).

Recent Winners:

2007 Lisa Covert
2005 Jennifer Heckard
2003 Bethany Moreton
2001 Mary Montgomery
1999 Alexandra M. Friedrich
1997 Deborah Kisatsky; Mary Elise Sarotte
1994 Regina Gramer; Jaclyn Stanke; Christine Skwiot
1992 Shannon Smith

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Robert H. Ferrell Book Prize

This prize is designed to reward distinguished scholarship in the history of American foreign relations, broadly defined. The prize of $2,500 is awarded annually. The Ferrell Prize was established to honor Robert H. Ferrell, professor of diplomatic history at Indiana University from 1961 to 1990, by his former students.

Eligibility: The Ferrell Prize recognizes any book beyond the first monograph by the author. To be considered, a book must deal with the history of American foreign relations, broadly defined. Biographies of statesmen and diplomats are eligible. General surveys, autobiographies, or editions of essays and documents are not eligible.

Procedures: Books may be nominated by the author, the publisher, or any member of SHAFR. Three copies of the book must be submitted.

The award is announced during the SHAFR luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians.

The deadline for nominating books published in 2008 is December 15, 2008. Submit books to Robert J. McMahon, Department of History, Ohio State University, 106 Dulles Hall, 230 West 17th Avenue, Columbus OH 43210 (email: mcmahon.121@osu.edu).

Recent Winners:

2008 James F. Goode, Negotiating for the Past: Archaeology, Nationalism, and Diplomacy in the Middle East, 1919-1941.
2007 Robert L. Beisner, Dean Acheson: A Life in the Cold War
2006 Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan
2005 Kenton J. Clymer, The United States and Cambodia
2004 William Taubman, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era
2003 Piero Gleijeses, Conflicting Missions: Havana, Washington, and Africa, 1959-1976
2000 Marc Gallicchio, The African American Encounter with Japan and China: Black Internationalism in Asia, 1895-1945
1999 Emily Rosenberg, Financial Missionaries to the World: The Politics and Culture of Dollar Diplomacy, 1900-1930
1998 Jeffrey Kimball, Nixon's Vietnam War
1997 Robert Schulzinger, A Time for War: The United States and Vietnam, 1941-1975
1995 Norman Saul, Concord and Conflict: The United States and Russia, 1867-1914
1994 John Lamberton Harper, American Visions of Europe: Franklin D. Roosevelt, George F. Kennan, and Dean G. Acheson
1993 no winner
1992 Mel Leffler, A Preponderance of Power: National Security, the Truman Administration, and the Cold War
1991 David Anderson, Trapped By Success: The Eisenhower Administration and Vietnam, 1953-1961; Diane Kunz, The Economic Diplomacy of the Suez Crisis

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The Norman and Laura Graebner Award

The Graebner Award is a lifetime achievement award intended to recognize a senior historian of United States foreign relations who has significantly contributed to the development of the field, through scholarship, teaching, and/or service, over his or her career. The award of $2,000 is awarded biannually. The Graebner Award was established by the former students of Norman A. Graebner, professor of diplomatic history at the University of Illinois and the University of Virginia, to honor Norman and his wife Laura for their years of devotion to teaching and research in the field.

Eligibility: The Graebner prize will be awarded to a distinguished scholar of diplomatic or international affairs. The recipient's career must demonstrate excellence in scholarship, teaching, and/or service to the profession. Although the prize is not restricted to academic historians, the recipient must have distinguished himself or herself through the study of international affairs from a historical perspective.

Procedures: Letters of nomination, submitted in triplicate, should (a) provide a brief biography of the nominee, including educational background, academic or other positions held, and awards and honors received; (b) list the nominee's major scholarly works and discuss the nature of his or her contribution to the study of diplomatic history and international affairs; (c) describe the candidate's career, note any teaching honors and awards, and comment on the candidate's classroom skills; and (d) detail the candidate's services to the historical profession, listing specific organizations and offices and discussing particular activities. Self-nominations are accepted.

Graebner awards are announced at SHAFR's annual meeting.

The next deadline for nominations is March 1, 2008. Submit materials to George Herring, Department of History, University of Kentucky, 1715 Patterson Office Tower, Lexingon, KY, 40506-0027 (gherrin@uky.edu).

Recent winners:

2006 Gary R. Hess
2004 Warren I. Cohen
2002 George Herring
2000 Robert Divine
1998 Robert Ferrell
1996 Walter LaFeber
1994 Wayne Cole
1992 Bradford Perkins
1990 Richard W. Leopold
1988 Alexander DeConde

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The Michael J. Hogan Fellowship

The Michael J. Hogan Fellowship was established to honor Michael J. Hogan, long-time editor of Diplomatic History.

The Hogan Fellowship of $4,000 is intended to promote research in foreign language sources by graduate students. The fellowship is intended to defray the costs of studying foreign languages needed for research. It is announced at the SHAFR luncheon held during the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians.

Applicants must be graduate students researching some aspect of U.S. foreign relations history. Membership in SHAFR is not required.

Procedures: Self-nominations are expected. Applications must include: a detailed plan for using the fellowship to achieve the purposes of the program (5-7 pages); a concise c.v. (1-2 pages), and a budget (1 page). Each applicant’s graduate adviser must write a letter of recommendation, to be submitted separately. All applications and letters must be submitted via e-mail.

Within eight months of receiving the award, each successful applicant must file with the SHAFR Business Office a brief report on how the funds were spent. Such reports will be considered for publication in Passport.

To be considered for the 2009 award, nominations and supporting materials must be received by February 1, 2009. Submit materials to: Kenneth Osgood, Florida Atlantic University, kosgood@fau.edu.

Recent Winners:

2008 Barin Kayaoghu
2007 Sara Berndt
2006 Ryan Irwin
2005 Heather Dichter
2004 Maraget Peacock
2003 Mark Hove

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The W. Stull Holt Dissertation Fellowship

The W. Stull Holt Dissertation Fellowship of $4,000 is intended to defray the costs of travel, preferably foreign travel, necessary to conduct research on a significant dissertation project. The fellowship is awarded annually at the SHAFR luncheon held during the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians.

Applicants must be actively working on dissertations dealing with some aspect of U.S. foreign relations history. Applicants must have satisfactorily completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except the dissertation. Membership in SHAFR is not required.

Procedures: Self-nominations are expected. Applications must include: a dissertation prospectus including a paragraph or two on how funds would be expended (8-12 pages), a concise c.v. (1-2 pages), and a budget (1 page). Each applicant’s dissertation adviser must write a letter of recommendation, to be submitted separately. All applications and letters must be submitted via e-mail.

Within eight months of receiving the award, each successful applicant must file with the SHAFR Business Office a brief report on how the funds were spent. Such reports will be considered for publication in Passport.

To be considered for the 2009 award, nominations and supporting materials must be received by February 1, 2009. Submit materials to: Kenneth Osgood, Florida Atlantic University, kosgood@fau.edu.

Recent Winners:

2008 Ryan Irwin
2007 Sudeepto Ani Mukherji
2006 Kate Burlingham
2005 Keri Lewis, Jongnam Na
2004 David Snyder
2003 Jason Colby
2002 Erez Manela; Daniel Michael
2001 Mary Montgomery
2000 Jason Parker; Jeffrey Engel
1999 Michael Donoghue; Gregg Brazinsky; Carol Chin
1998 Christopher Endy; Richard Wiggers; Xiaodong Wang
1997 Max Paul Friedman
1996 Philip E. Catton
1995 John J. Dwyer
1994 Christian Ostermann
1993 Darlene Rivas
1992 Robert K. Brigham
1991 Kyle Longley
1990 Katherine A. S. Siegel
1989 Joseph Bedford

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Samuel Flagg Bemis Research Grants

The Samuel F. Bemis Research Grants are intended to promote research by doctoral candidates, by untenured faculty members, and by those within six years of the Ph.D. and working as professional historians. A limited number of grants of varying amounts (generally, up to $2,000) will be awarded annually to help defray the costs of domestic or international travel necessary to conduct research on significant scholarly projects.

Applicants must be actively working on dissertations or post-doctoral research projects dealing with some aspect of U.S. foreign relations history. Applicants must have satisfactorily completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except the dissertation or must hold the Ph.D. Membership in SHAFR is not required.

Procedures: Self-nominations are expected. Graduate students should apply for the Holt Fellowship, under the guidelines above, as applicants for that fellowship will be considered automatically for Samuel F. Bemis Research Grants. Untenured faculty members and recent Ph.D.s working as professional historians should submit applications modeled on the Holt Fellowship application, making clear their professional status, substituting a research prospectus for a dissertation prospectus, and arranging a letter of recommendation from any referee.

Within eight months of receiving the award, each successful applicant must file with the SHAFR Business Office a brief report on how the funds were spent. Such reports will be considered for publication in Passport.

To be considered for the 2009 award, nominations and supporting materials must be received by February 1, 2009. Submit materials to: Kenneth Osgood, Florida Atlantic University, kosgood@fau.edu.

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The Betty M. Unterberger Dissertation Prize

The Betty M. Unterberger Prize is intended to recognize and encourage distinguished research and writing by graduate students in the field of diplomatic history. The Prize of $1,000 is awarded biannually (in odd years) to the author of a dissertation, completed during the previous two calendar years, on any topic in United States foreign relations history. The Prize is announced at the annual SHAFR conference.

The Prize was established in 2004 to honor Betty Miller Unterberger, a founder of SHAFR and long-time professor of diplomatic history at Texas A&M University.

Procedures: A dissertation may be submitted for consideration by the author or by the author's advisor. Three copies of the dissertation should be submitted, along with a cover letter explaining why the dissertation deserves consideration.

To be considered for the 2009 award, nominations and supporting materials must be received by February 28, 2009. Submit materials to SHAFR Unterberger Prize Committee, Department of History, Ohio State University, 106 Dulles Hall, 230 West 17th Avenue, Columbus OH  43210.

Recent Winners:

2007 Jennifer Heckard, University of Connecticut
2005 Jonathan Winkler, Yale University

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The Lawrence Gelfand - Armin Rappaport Fellowship

SHAFR established this fellowship to honor Lawrence Gelfand, founding member and former SHAFR president and Armin Rappaport, founding editor of Diplomatic History.

The Gelfand-Rappaport Fellowship of $4,000 is intended to defray the costs of dissertation research travel. The fellowship is awarded annually at SHAFR luncheon held during the annual meeting of the American Historical Association.

Applicants must be actively working on dissertations dealing with some aspect of United States foreign relations history. Applicants must have satisfactorily completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except the dissertation. Membership in SHAFR is not required.

Procedures: Self-nominations are expected. Applications must include: a dissertation prospectus including a paragraph or two on how funds would be expended (8-12 pages), a concise c.v. (1-2 pages), and a budget (1 page). Each applicant’s dissertation adviser must write a letter of recommendation, to be submitted separately. All applications and letters must be submitted via e-mail.

Applicants for the Gelfand-Rappaport Fellowship will also be considered for the Bernath Dissertation Grant.

Within eight months of receiving the award, each successful applicant must file with the SHAFR Business Office a brief report on how the funds were spent. Such reports will be considered for publication in Passport.

The deadline for applications for the 2009 grant is October 15, 2008. Application materials should be sent to Catherine Forslund, Rockford College, CForslund@Rockford.edu.

Recent Winners:

2008 Min Song
2007 Sarah Manekin
2006 Heather Dichter
2005 Joey S.R. Long
2004 Susan Haskell

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Robert A. and Barbara Divine Graduate Student Travel
Fund

The Robert A. and Barbara Divine Graduate Student Travel Fund was established in 2006 to honor Professor and Mrs. Robert A. Divine. A long-time professor at the University of Texas, Bob Divine made a deep impact on the field of U.S. foreign relations history through his numerous, influential books and articles and his careful attention to the education of graduate students. The Divine Fund supports the travel of graduate students who are presenting papers at the annual meetings of SHAFR.

When submitting a paper proposal to a SHAFR annual meeting Program Committee, graduate students in need of travel assistance should indicate their interest in financial support from the Divine Fund. The Program Committee will evaluate those applications and allocate the available funds.  The total amount of funding available each year varies, as do the specific awards given. (The Program Committee makes decisions about paper proposals strictly on their merits, and without regard to financial needs indicated.)

Application procedures and details are publicized in each annual Call For Papers for the annual meeting.

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Arthur S. Link-Warren F. Kuehl Prize for Documentary Editing

The Link-Kuehl Prize is awarded for outstanding collections of primary source materials in the fields of international or diplomatic history, especially those distinguished by the inclusion of commentary designed to interpret the documents and set them within their historical context.  Published works as well as electronic collections and audio-visual compilations are eligible. The prize is not limited to works on American foreign policy, but is open to works on the history of international, multi-archival, and/or American foreign relations, policy, and diplomacy.

The award of $1,000 is presented biannually (odd years) to the best work published during the preceding two calendar years. The award is announced at the SHAFR luncheon during the annual meeting of the American Historical Association.

Procedures: Nominations may be made by any person or publisher. Send three copies of the book or other work with letter of nomination to Edward C. Keefer, Chair, Link-Kuehl Prize Committee, General Editor, FRUS, PA/HO, Rm L-409, SA-1, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D,C. 20520 (e-mail: keeferec@state.gov). To be considered for the 2009 prize, nominations must be received by November 15, 2008.

Winners of the Link-Kuehl Award:

2005 Jeffrey P. Kimball, The Vietnam War Files: Uncovering the Secret History of Nixon Era Strategy.

Past Winners of the Former Kuehl Award:

2003 Harriet Hyman Alonso, Growing Up Abolitionist
2001 Fredrik Logevall, Choosing War: The Lost Chance for Peace and the Escalation of War in Vietnam
1999 Frances Early, A World Without War: How U.S. Feminists and Pacifists Resisted World War I

1995 Lawrence S. Wittner, One World or None: A History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement through 1953
1993 Thomas Knock, To End All Wars: Woodrow Wilson and the Quest for a New World Order
1991 Charles DeBenedetti and Charles Chatfield, The Antiwar Movement of the Vietnam Era
1988 Melvin Small, Johnson, Nixon, and the Doves
1987 Harold Josephson, Biographical Dictionary of Modern Peace Leaders

Past Winners of the Former Link Prize:

2001 Warren Kimball, Churchill and Roosevelt: The Complete Correspondence
1996 John C.A. Stagg, et al., The Papers of James Madison: Secretary of State Series, Volume 2
1991 Justus Doenecke, In Danger Undaunted: The Anti-Interventionist Movement for 1940-1941 as Revealed in the Papers of the America First Committee

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Georgetown Travel Grants

This grant was designed to subsidize research by doctoral students in the archives of the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. The prize was discontinued in June 2003.

Past Winners:

2003 Tammy Nemeth
2002 Martin Lobenz-Meyer
2001 Hiroshi Kitamura; Brian Etheridge
2000 Elisse Wright
1999 Michael Donoghue

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