Anti-War Meeting at the American Historical Association

Following is an email being distributed by historians Van Gosse and Andor Skotnes, on behalf of the Radical History Review (RHR).

RHR Associates Colleagues,

The RHR Collective is planning to hold an open meeting at the AHA for historians who oppose the escalating war plans of the Bush administration. We have reserved a room that will hold 175 people for this meeting at the conference hotel on Friday, January 3, 6:30-8:00.

We would like your feedback, suggestions and, if possible, help on this meeting. Here are our tentative plans:

1. The purpose of the meeting will be to hold an open-ended discussion about building a network of historians opposed to the looming US-led war in Iraq.

2. As of now, we as RHR are sponsoring the meeting. However, if we can get a clear proposal for the meeting together, and if we have the energies and time, we can look for co-sponsors. But, if necessary, we feel the meeting can be a success if we sponsor it alone.

3. The meeting will be publicized through various history-related listservs and History News Network, leafleting at the AHA, the RHR table at the AHA, and the upcoming issue of the Radical Historians Newsletter.

4. We envision the meeting as an organizing event, not a teach-in on the impending war. Therefore we have asked Ellen DuBois and/or Joyce Appleby to open the meeting by speaking about the efforts they led against a unilateral US attack. The chair would then offer a basic proposal that we create some sort of ongoing antiwar network of historians, and then open the meeting up for discussion about what the folks present want to do. We would like to come out of the meeting with an organizational plan (however modest) and some initial activities (however modest.

5. We should, at the meeting, propose forming an organizing committee to follow up on whatever the meeting decides to do (and we should have several nominees in mind for that committee). Also, we should be ready to get a list of names/addresses/telephones/e-mails for those present, etc., etc.

So that is our thinking at this point. If you have a chance, could you let us know what you think? For example;

* Do you basically agree with the above plan?

* What suggestions or additions can you offer?

* How can you help? (A few RHRers have said they will be at the AHA and can help, but we need more; also we need help from those who won't be at the AHA.)

Thanks for any suggestions or help that you can offer.

Solidarity, Andor for the RHR SC