Joanna Tague, Bill Knoblauch, and Christian Peterson
As part of the Contemporary History Institute’s fall semester speaker series, three Ohio University alumni recently visited campus to discuss their new book, The Routledge History of World Peace since 1750.
Christian Peterson ‘09Ph.D. and Bill Knoblauch ’12Ph.D. co-edited the work with Michael Loadenthal. Joanna Tague ’03M.A. contributed a chapter to the volume.
CHI hosted a discussion at Sing Tao House with the panel, graduate students, and faculty from the History Department and Political Science Department. Knoblauch, Peterson, and Tague reflected on the training they received at Ohio University and as CHI students. In an hour-long conversation about professional careers in history, the alumni offered insights based on their own experiences, including thoughts about dissertation research and writing, the publishing process, conference presentations, academia, and pedagogy.
In their afternoon talk hosted by CHI and co-sponsored by the History Department, the War and Peace theme, and the Baker Peace Studies Fund, the panel discussed in detail The Routledge History of World Peace since 1750. Knoblauch and Peterson explained that by combining the writings of dozens of contributors from diverse professional and academic backgrounds into one volume, the editors hope the work acts as a productive dialogue between groups who study similar issues but do not commonly collaborate. In that way, the book might become an impetus for better studies of peace, including more research on international law and institutions; peace activism, peace promotion efforts and their impact; prevention of wars and violent conflicts; and peace-building operations and missions.
Tague discussed her chapter, a historical narrative about how Janet Mondlane, an American college student who met (and married) the future leader of the Mozambican liberation movement at Oberlin College, moved with him to Tanzania, and shifted from outright pacifist to a supporter of the armed struggle from the mid-1960s on. The panelists also explained how their training at Ohio University and CHI’s multi-disciplinary approach prepared them well for envisioning and carrying out the project.
CHI alumni panel during their presentation about the book, The Routledge History of World Peace since 1750.
Knoblauch is an Associate Professor of History at Finlandia University. A specialist in the history of Cold War politics and culture, he recently released Nuclear Freeze in a Cold War: The Reagan Administration, Cultural Activism, and the End of the Arms Race (University of Massachusetts Press, 2017), a monograph based upon his doctoral dissertation. A former CHI fellow, Knoblauch earned a Ph.D. in History and a Certificate in Contemporary History from Ohio University.
Peterson is an Adjunct Professor of History at Ferris State University. He is the author of numerous book chapters and journal articles and has published two books, including Globalizing Human Rights: Private Citizens, the Soviet Union, and the West (Routledge, 2011), a monograph based on his doctoral dissertation. A former CHI fellow as well as winner of the Baker Peace Dissertation Fellowship, Knoblauch earned a Ph.D. in History and a Certificate in Contemporary History from Ohio University.
Tague is an Assistant Professor of History at Denison University. An expert in Sub-Saharan Africa, she received a prestigious fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in 2015 to pursue research in Tanzania. Tague’s work explores the relationship between refugee settlement and rural development in decolonizing Africa and her publications include the co-edited volume African Asylum at a Crossroads: Activism Expert Testimony, and Refugee Rights (Ohio University Press, 2016). She earned an M.A. in African Studies from the Center for International Studies at Ohio University.
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