A American Historical Association e a profissionalização da história nos Estados Unidos, 1884-1915

Abstract

The American Historical Association (AHA) was established in 1884 as a professional association dedicated to the advancement of historical studies in the United States. Since its early days, the AHA has worked towards achieving the conditions for the professional practice of history, including research, teaching, and document management. Unlike in other nations where history was also being recognized as a scientific field, American historians faced challenges in obtaining federal government support for basic resources, such as historical document preservation. This study encompasses the period when the AHA emerged as the main promoter of the necessary conditions for viable careers in history. Initially, they actively sought alliances with the federal government, and later took the initiative in creating those conditions themselves. Each approach reflected a different conception of the valued historian within that microcosm – whether dilettantes or disciplined, so that the association’s first 31 years were marked by disputes between advocates of each position, struggling for control of the association and the policies guiding its actions.