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Cornell University

Welcome

The Cornell Public History Initiative works to stimulate and deepen dialogue among students, faculty, staff, and their wider communities about the sedimented histories that shape our contemporary world.

Launched in 2019, the PHI supports courses on museums, monuments, archives, and memory; organizes an ongoing speaker series; and coordinates fellowships for undergraduates in partnership with local community organizations.

About Us

Upcoming Events

Undergraduate Minor

The undergraduate minor in public history enables students to think about the stakes of historical knowledge, explore Cornell's archives, and take part in the creation of digital exhibitions and other community-facing projects.

“I want to be part of the process of remembering my ancestors, and I want part of that process of finding ways for me and others like me to understand the parts of our history that aren’t a cause for celebration.” Read Tilda Wilson’s essay on wrestling with Mormon memory.

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Past Events

Sarah Schulman discusses the history of HIV/AIDS activism

Watch the video from Sarah Schulman’s Spring 2021 conversation with Professor Stephen Vider on her use of oral histories to tell the story of the HIV/AIDS activist group ACT UP.

Watch the video