#  Histories Beyond Borders in the Age of Nationalist Resurgence 

 



## September 18, 2026

**This conference is open to the public.**

The fields of international, global, and transnational history have been flourishing in recent decades. Akira Iriye, the longtime Charles Warren Professor of American History at Harvard who passed away in January of this year at ninety-one, was a pioneering figure in those fields, shaping their emergence and evolution. Iriye was also a lifelong cosmopolitan, whose lived experience in wartime and postwar Japan, and in the United States, left him with a conviction that supra-national approaches to history could help promote better relations among the world’s peoples.  
  
In the context of nationalist resurgence in many places around the world, this one-day conference seeks to examine, through the lens of Iriye’s scholarly legacy, recent advances in the field of international history, broadly conceived. It asks what their future horizons and contributions might be and how they can help illuminate the current moment.

### Contact

**Sarah Banse**  
<sarahbanse@wcfia.harvard.edu>



 

##  Conveners 

 



  [### Andrew Gordon

 ](/people/andrew-gordon) <agordon@fas.harvard.edu>Faculty Associate (on leave fall 2025). 

Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History, Department of History, Harvard University.

 

 

**Research interests:** Public history and tourism in Japan and globally, with focus on industrial heritage sites.



 

 

      ![Andrew Gordon.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/gordon_andrew_0.jpg?itok=2MfDicCA) 

 

 

 

   [### Erez Manela

 ](/people/erez-manela) <manela@fas.harvard.edu>Acting Center Director (2025–2026); Director, Graduate Student Programs; Executive Committee; Steering Committee; Faculty Associate. 

Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History, Department of History, Harvard University.

 

 

**Research interests:** International history; evolution of international society; US foreign relations; modern Middle East; modern East Asia; and international and global health.



 

 

      ![Erez Manela.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/manela_erez.JPG?h=916f2765&itok=oiXAfyL8) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

##  Speakers 

- **Eiichiro Azuma**, Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History, University of Pennsylvania.
- **Nick Kapur**, Associate Professor of History, Rutgers University.
- **Rana Mitter**, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School.
- **Petra Goedde**, Professor of History, Temple University.
- **Francine McKenzie**, Professor of History, University of Western Ontario.
- **Christina Davis**, Director, Program on US-Japan Relations; Faculty Associate. Edwin O. Reischauer Professor of Japanese Politics, Department of Government, Harvard University.
- **Xu Guoqi**, David H. Y. Chang Professor of Chinese History, Hong Kong University.
- **Izumi Hirobe**, Professor, School of Political Science and Economics, Meiji University.
- **Toshiaki Miura**, Journalist at *Asahi Shimbun*.



 

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##  Valuing Accessiblity 

The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about the access provided, please get in touch with the person listed as the contact on the individual event listing in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance, if possible. Please note that the Weatherhead Center will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability.



 

 



 

 See also:- [ Conferences ](/content-types/conferences)
- [ 2026 ](/content-types/2026)