A few weeks ago, our colleague Wade Graham wrote a case study, “Malibu Burning,” as part of our West on Fire initiative. It is a powerful history of fire and human interactions with the environment in Malibu and greater Southern California over the past century. We share it now, as our profoundest sympathies go out to all our family, friends, colleagues, and communities suffering deeply from the fires across Los Angeles, because we believe that Wade’s compelling analysis lends crucial context to the current moment. We hope that, like us, you’ll find hope in his conclusions and vision for human life--with fire--in Southern California’s future. Read more:

Join ICW for a webinar conversation about the history of Los Angeles transit and a community-based response to the Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit proposal for a gondola to Dodger Stadium. Panelists will include UCLA professor Eric Avila, California State Parks planner Jim Newland, executive director of the Southeast Asian Community Alliance Sissy Trinh, and urban writer Alissa Walker. RSVP:

RT @ThePublicSquare: John Conness, who last served California in the U.S. Senate back in 1869, might be the best defense we have against Do…

Applications are now open for Visual Wests An NEH Summer Institute for Higher Education Faculty The University of Oklahoma, Norman Oklahoma July 7-August 1, 2025 To apply:

We're so glad to end this week with good news--a $300,000 NEH grant to continue work on our Chinatown History Project. The Chinatown History Project is an initiative that uses augmented reality to digitally reconstruct artifacts and spaces from Los Angeles’ historic Chinatown. The project blends history with immersive technology, offering users an interactive experience that brings the neighborhood’s cultural legacy to life. Our partners include Scott Fisher, professor of media arts + practice at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, and The Huntington Library.

You should attend our grad student Abby Gibson's upcoming lecture at UCLA for the title alone! 'Wild and Ungovernable Passions': Emotional Scripts and the Fate of the U.S. Expansion in the Vigilante Rocky Mountain West, 1864-1866 Link to the Zoom webinar:

Important piece from our colleague Prof Joan Flores-Villalobos @USCHistory on Trump policy and the history of the Panama Canal: "By erasing the racial disparities at the center of the Panama Canal construction, Trump gives justification to his expansionist policy while ignoring the cost of U.S. empire and its perceived 'triumphs.'"

📢Graduate students in Western history! The deadline for the Western History Dissertation Workshop has been extended to Feb. 7. Apply now to participate in this dynamic writing workshop and get feedback from leading scholars on your works-in-progress:

Join us to celebrate the new anthology, 'Writing the Golden State: A New Literary Terrain' Thursday, February 13, 2025 12:00 – 1:00pm PST Join ICW for a discussion about California’s past and present with contributors Jennifer Carr, David Ulin, David Helps, and Wendy Chang. Writing the Golden States explores California through twenty-five essays that look beyond the clichés of the “California Dream,” portraying a state that is deviant and recalcitrant, proud and humble, joyful and communal. Join us for a multi-faceted and exciting dialogue as we explore the individuals, communities, and events that have made California a richly diverse state. RSVP:

RT @USCDornsife: Rebuilding after L.A.’s wildfires isn’t just about homes and infrastructure. A USC Dornsife historian urges us to restore…

RT @westcenter: Join us for our first book talk of 2025, "American Burial Ground: A New History of the Overland Trail." Historian Sarah Key…

RT @DrGenaCarpio: CFP out for Urban History Association Conference in Los Angeles,

"...a reminder that we should treat citrus not as a metaphor for the California Dream but rather the fragility of it."

🎉More than 23,000 people have downloaded our podcast, Western Edition! And if you haven’t listened yet, we think it makes an excellent travel companion. Take us along on your holiday travels! Season 4: Hidden Pasadena digs deep into the “Crown City” of the San Gabriel Valley with six little-known Pasadena stories, from Simons brickyard to Vroman’s bookstore, St. Barnabas church to the Shoya House at The Huntington. It also considers Pasadenans from the past, from John Brown’s children to John Birch’s followers. 🎧

We're so excited to be hosting, with @TheHuntington, the 19th annual Western History Dissertation Workshop! May 15-16, 2025 at The Huntington. Five advanced western history Ph.D. students will be selected to present a chapter of their work to a collegial group of 10-12 leading scholars. Application deadline: Jan. 24, 2025 Details ⬇️ @WhaHistory

RT @USCWrigley: Please join us for Infrastructure and Environmental Justice in U.S. History: A Pop-up Exhibit in USC Special Collections, c…

This is a wonderful program run by our friends and colleagues @USCWrigley! And they've supported the work of our PhD students in History in the past. Applications for 2025 are due Dec. 6. Details ⤵️

Dear Friends, Twenty years ago, a small group of us at USC and The Huntington founded the Institute on California and the West. The thrill of our work has never worn off. While it is hard to believe that we’ve been at it for two decades, we are excited about what comes next. Each year at this time, we reach out to our friends and supporters. This year feels different because of our 20th anniversary and our collective contemplation about what comes next. Some things we know for certain: our programming, our outreach, and our support of broad-gauged research on the history and culture of the American West has never been more robust. We can do this work because of the support we receive from USC, from The Huntington, and from all of you. Please help us celebrate our birthday by joining us at any – or all – of our programs. And if you can help us with a financial gift, we would be so grateful. With our best wishes for the season, Bill, Elizabeth, Eryn, and Jessica Team ICW To donate: @USCDornsife

RT @USCDornsife: Did you know that during the last ice age, the southwestern U.S was home to massive freshwater lakes? @Rachel_Solomite, Ph…