History Department at Virginia Tech

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Blacksburg, VA
History Department at Virginia Tech

Please check "Historically Speaking," Volume 16, Fall, 2003 for the history of the History Department.http://www.history.vt.edu/newsletter/newsletter_16.pdf

Our Department of History publishes cutting-edge historical research, trains students to become critical thinkers and strong researchers, and shares our passion for history with the community.

08/31/2026

The first of the 8 new graduate students we'd like you to meet is Zero Miller! 🎉

For Zero, Virginia Tech felt like the perfect fit because of the history faculty’s diverse research interests and expertise. After spending the past decade in the region, he's excited to continue calling it home while earning his master's degree.

Through the M.A. program, Zero hopes to strengthen his skills in research, education, and community engagement as he prepares for a career in public history. He's especially passionate about making history accessible to broader audiences and connecting scholarship with public service. 🧡

⭐ Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
⭐ Undergraduate Institution: Radford University
⭐ Research Interests: public history, social movements, settler colonialism, and oral history
⭐ Hobbies: DIY shows, birdwatching, crossword puzzles, watching B-horror movies, and spending his mornings with his cats and a cup of coffee

08/28/2026

We're excited to welcome eight new graduate students to our History M.A. program! 🎉

Over the next few weeks, we'll introduce each of them and share the academic interests, research passions, and goals that brought them to Virginia Tech.

Stay tuned and help us give our newest historians a warm Hokie welcome! 🧡

08/27/2026

Come see the History Club at GobblerFest to talk to current members and see if the club is a good fit for you! 🎉

Gobblerfest is a free event that will take place tomorrow (Fri., 8/28) from 4-7 p.m.

History Club meets every Thursday from 5-6 p.m. in the Major William Atrium (the 2nd floor common space by the elevators). We welcome all majors, minors, and non-majors — anyone who is a history enthusiast is welcome to come chat with us! 🧡

08/25/2026

This summer, history major Grace Kostrzebski interned at Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax, Virginia, where she developed exhibit proposals, conducted historical research, and gained firsthand experience interpreting history for public audiences.

Among her projects was an exhibit proposal that used primary sources to help reconstruct the lives of 14 enslaved people named in a deed of manumission created by the patriarch of the home's original family. "It was really rewarding to work on this project and learn something new nearly every day."

Stay tuned as we share more about Grace's experience and highlight other students who spent the summer gaining hands-on experience through internships! ✨

08/21/2026

Kick off the new semester with us next week! 🎉 Join us in Major Williams room 407 for treats from local favorites throughout the week. All History Department students, faculty, and staff are welcome. 🧡

Schedule:
🥐 Monday, 8/24: Next Door Bake Shop (9:30 a.m.)
🍕 Tuesday, 8/25: Mellow Mushroom pizza (12 p.m.)
🧁 Wednesday, 8/26: Coconuts cupcakes (11 a.m.)
🥪 Thursday, 8/27: Panera sandwiches (12:15 p.m.)
🍪 Friday, 8/28: Insomnia Cookies (12:30 p.m.)

08/20/2026

Join us next Wednesday, August 26 at 7 p.m. at The Lyric Theater in Blacksburg for a free screening and discussion of Matewan, a film written and directed by John Sayles.

Matewan is a 1987 American historical drama that dramatizes the violent 1920 Battle of Matewan, a pivotal coal miners’ strike in West Virginia. The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2023.

Dr. John Hennen, a retired labor historian, will speak before the screening about the events depicted in the film, its historical accuracy, and its legacy.

Following the screening, Dr. Marian Mollin will moderate a Q&A panel featuring local labor historians and activists.

We hope to see you there!

08/19/2026

Meet Dominique Polanco, the final faculty member we're welcoming to the Department of History this semester!

Polanco's research explores Indigenous books and painted manuscripts from colonial Mexico, with a particular focus on documents created by Nahua artist-scribes in the 16th century.

Drawing on art history, Indigenous studies, Latin American studies, and book history, her work examines how these materials have been created, collected, copied, and interpreted across centuries. She is also co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Race in Early Modern Artistic, Material, and Visual Production.

Her scholarship and teaching make her a wonderful addition to our department!

Click here to learn more about Dr. Polanco: https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-history/faculty/dominique-polanco.html

08/17/2026

Welcome to the Department of History, Matthew Gabriele! 😊

A professor of medieval history and an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Gabriele explores the intersections of religion, violence, nostalgia, and apocalypse in both the European Middle Ages and the modern world.

His scholarship has reached audiences worldwide through books, media appearances, and public writing featured in outlets including The Washington Post, TIME, CNN, and Smithsonian Magazine. He has even appeared as an expert on the History Channel and NPR. Gabriele is the author of several books, including the forthcoming Violence: A Christian History.

We're thrilled to welcome him to our department this semester!

Click here to learn more about Dr. Gabriele: https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-history/faculty/matthew-gabriele.html

08/13/2026

We're pleased to introduce Paula Seniors, one of our newest faculty members in the Department of History!

A professor of Africana Studies, Seniors' teaching and research explores ethnic and African American studies, African American and multi-racial radical movements, gender studies, and African American and multi-racial theater, film, and dance. Through her scholarship, she examines the histories, cultures, and movements that have shaped communities and social change.

We're excited to have her join us and contribute to the vibrant work happening across the department!

Click here to learn more about Dr. Seniors: https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-history/faculty/paula-seniors.html

08/11/2026

Please join us in welcoming Shaily Patel, the first of four new faculty members joining the Department of History this semester! 🎉

An associate professor of early Christianity, Patel explores the complex ways in which ideas of magic shaped early Christian communities, beliefs, and texts. Her research challenges common assumptions about the ancient world and informs a wide range of courses on early Christianity, including the New Testament, Christian apocryphal texts, orthodoxy and heresy, and demonology and exorcism.

We're delighted to welcome her to our community of historians and students!

Click here to learn more about Dr. Patel: https://liberalarts.vt.edu/.../faculty/shaily-patel.html

Address

431 Major Williams Hall
Blacksburg, VA
24061

Website

http://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-history.html

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