The Polish American Historical Association (PAHA), founded in 1942, is a scholarly not-for-profit association dedicated to the study of Polish American history and culture. Originally a section of the larger Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, PAHA soon became an independent organization. On September 11, 1942, historian
Oskar Halecki
Oskar Halecki (26 May 1891, Vienna, Cisleithania, Austria-Hungary – 17 September 1973, White Plains, New York, United States of America) was a Polish historian, social and Catholic activist.
Life and career
Halecki, whose first name is sometim ...
proposed an autonomous historical institution and chose
Mieczyslaw Haiman of the Polish Museum of America in Chicago as its founding president. Since 1944, PAHA publishes ''Polish American Studies'', an interdisciplinary journal focused primarily in
social science
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...
and the
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
relating to American Polonia. It is edited by Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann. PAHA is an affiliate society of the American Historical Association.
Structure
PAHA is governed by a board of directors, elected by the membership of the Association, consisting of eight officers and twelve council members. Elections are held every two years. Lists of current and past officers can be found on the PAHA website.
Publications
In addition to its scholarly journal, ''Polish American Studies'', edited by Prof. Anna Jaroszynska-Kirchmann (for the previous 30 years edited by Prof.
James Pula
James S. Pula (born 18 February 1946 in Utica, New York) is a Polish-American historian, professor, author, and Polonia activist.
He is a professor at Purdue University North Central, and specializes in ethnic and immigration studies and 19th-cen ...
), the organization publishes a semi-annual ''PAHA Newsletter'', and a blog (edited by Dr. Anna Muller). The Association's ''The Polish American Encyclopedia,'' edited by Prof. James Pula, was published in 2011 by McFarland Books. Other notable publications sponsored by PAHA include James Pula, ed., ''PAHA: A 75th Anniversary History of the Polish American Historical Association'' (Polish American Historical Association, 2017) and Ewa E. Barczyk, ed., ''Footprints of Polonia: Polish Historical Sites Across North America'' (Hippocrene, 2022).
Conferences
Along with the
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...
, the PAHA hosts an annual conference. The 79th Annual Meeting took place in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
in January 2023.
Awards
Each year at its annual meeting, PAHA bestows awards for deserving articles, books, scholars, and others. PAHA also bestows Creative Arts Awards, the Pula Distinguished Service Award, and Young Scholar Travel Grants. Most awards are made annually, and some occasionally.
Special projects
PAHA makes appeals for memoirs and historical artifacts among Americans of Polish descent to aid in its historical research. PAHA secured archival storage space at the Central Connecticut State Library with strong interest in acquiring firsthand memoirs and documents from the postwar Polish American diaspora and their current descendants.
References
Further reading
* Bukowczyk, John J., "'Harness for Posterity the Values of a Nation': Fifty Years of the Polish American Historical Association and 'Polish American Studies,'" ''Polish American Studies'' 50.2 (Autumn 1993), 5-100.
* Bukowczyk, John J., "Keynote for the 75
th Anniversary of PAHA: The Polish American Historical Association - Its Place, Role and Legacy within the Field of U.S. Ethnic History." ''Polish American Studies'' 76.2 (Autumn 2019),15-23.
* Jaroszynska-Kirchmann, Anna D., "The Polish American Historical Association: Looking Back, Looking Forward," ''Polish American Studies'' 65.1 (Spring 2008), 57–76.
* Pula, James S.; Pacyga, Dominic A.; Pienkos, Donald; Erdmans, Mary Patrice; Walaszek, Adam; Kozaczka, Grazyna A.,"Forum on ''Polish American Studies,''" ''Polish American Studies'' 77.1 (Spring 2020), 9-54.
* Pula, James S., ed., ''PAHA: A 75th Anniversary History of the Polish American Historical Association'' (Polish American Historical Association, 2017).
* Walaszek, Adam. "Has the 'Salt-Water Curtain' Been Raised Up? Globalizing Historiography of Polish America." ''Polish American Studies'' 73.1 (Spring 2016), 47-67.
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Polish-American culture in Connecticut
Polish-American history
1942 establishments in the United States
Scientific societies based in the United States
Historical societies of the United States
Organizations based in Connecticut
Organizations established in 1942