Smaller AHA This Year

The American Historical Association kicks off its annual meeting today, in San Diego, amid signs that it will be the latest disciplinary group to see a significant drop in attendance. AHA officials stress that they get hundreds of on-site registrations most years, sometimes even 1,000. But as of Jan. 1, 3,705 people had pre-registered. That's down from 5,400 last year (a meeting held in New York City, considered a major draw, and 4,366 the year before, in Washington. Of course many believe that attendance this year is bound to be way down, given that there are far fewer jobs open and that many historians don't want to spend the money to travel this year....