Histories Beyond Borders in the Age of Nationalist Resurgence

Mixed sybolism from the US, Chinese, and Japanese flags with red, white and blue stripes; white and yellow stars; and a central circle.

Date and Time

September 18, 2026
09:45AM - 05:15PM EDT

Location

Belfer Case Study Room (Room S020), CGIS South

This conference is open to the public. It will not be livestreamed, but it will be recorded and may be posted online after the event. Registration is required to attend the conference; please see conference web page for full details including registration information, agenda, speakers, and logistics. 

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.

Cosponsored by the Harvard Yenching Institute and Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University.

Contact

Sarah Banse
sarahbanse@wcfia.harvard.edu

Valuing Accessibility

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.