Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture

Books

The Institute publishes a select number of books each year on topics pertaining to the histories and cultures of North America from circa 1450 to 1820, including related developments in the British Isles, Europe, West Africa, and the Caribbean. Since the first book appeared in print in 1947, the OI has published over 247 titles, which have won a total of 208 awards.

The OI partners with the University of North Carolina Press in publishing its titles, and UNC Press also distributes the OI's books.

William and Mary Quarterly

The William and Mary Quarterly is an academic journal with a focus on early American history and culture. It ranges chronologically from Old World-New World contacts to about 1820. Geographically, it focuses on North America from New France and the Spanish-American borderlands to British America and the Caribbean and extends to Europe and West Africa. Although grounded in history, it welcomes works from all disciplines (for example, literature, law, political science, anthropology, archaeology, material culture, cultural studies) bearing on the early American period. Currently in its Third Series, the Quarterly is published in January, April, July, and October. The journal originated in 1892, making it one of the oldest scholarly journals in the United States.

Digital publications

In addition to peer-reviewed digital humanities projects such as Colonial Virginia Portraits,the OI also publishes the OI Reader, which features a digital edition of the William and Mary Quarterly as well as additional digital projects, and Commonplace.online in conjunction with the American Antiquarian Society. The OI also supports other digital humanities work in early American history including Enslaved.org and the Slave Voyages Project.

Discover more about Publications related topics

University of North Carolina Press

University of North Carolina Press

The University of North Carolina Press, founded in 1922, is a university press associated with the University of North Carolina. It was the first university press founded in the Southern United States. It is a member of the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) and publishes both scholarly and general-interest publications. UNC Press supports the University of North Carolina through publishing books and journals It receives financial support from the state of North Carolina and an endowment fund Its main offices are located in Chapel Hill.

William and Mary Quarterly

William and Mary Quarterly

The William and Mary Quarterly is a quarterly history journal published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. The journal originated in 1892, making it one of the oldest scholarly journals in the United States. Currently in its third series, the Quarterly is the leading journal for the study of early American history and culture. It ranges chronologically from Old World–New World contacts to about 1820. Geographically, it focuses on North America—from New France and the Spanish American borderlands to British America and the Caribbean—and extends to Europe and West Africa. Though grounded in history, it welcomes works from all disciplines bearing on the early American period—for example, literature, law, political science, anthropology, archaeology, material culture, cultural studies.

New France

New France

New France was the territory colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris.

British America

British America

British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 1607 to 1783. Prior to the union, this was termed English America, excepting Scotland's failed attempts to establish its own colonies. Following the union, these colonies were formally known as British America and the British West Indies before the Thirteen Colonies declared their independence in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) and formed the United States of America.

British West Indies

British West Indies

The British West Indies (BWI) were colonised British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, British Guiana and Trinidad and Tobago. Other territories include Bermuda, and the former British Honduras. The colonies were also at the centre of the transatlantic slave trade, around 2.3 million slaves were brought to the British Caribbean. Before the decolonisation period in the later 1950s and 1960s the term was used to include all British colonies in the region as part of the British Empire. Following the independence of most of the territories from the United Kingdom, the term Commonwealth Caribbean is now used.

Sign on the campus of W&M

All OI fellowship applicants are evaluated by outside committees of scholars who volunteer their time and expertise. Opportunities are available for predoctoral through postdoctoral students, early career scholars, and senior career scholars. Please check the OI website for details.

Most OI events are open to the public; costs to the participant vary.

Annual conferences

The OI offers an annual conference in June each year. The location varies each year in order to accommodate a wide range of scholars. Panels and papers are chosen by an external committee. The committee typically represents a large variety of institutions and disciplines and is formed by members from the host institution. Graduate students, junior, mid-career and senior scholars are all invited to submit proposals via a Call for Papers; all levels of career achievement are likewise represented on the final program.

Topical conferences

The OI also typically offers one topically themed conference each year, usually in the fall. The location varies. An organizing theme or topic is proposed by a group of scholars who then form a program committee and issue a Call for Papers. The number of papers and panels offered is typically smaller than at the annual conference, likewise the overall number of participants.

WMQ-EMSI workshops

Each May, the William and Mary Quarterly in conjunction with the Early Modern Studies Institute at the University of Southern California conducts a workshop designed to identify and encourage new trends in our understanding of the history and culture of early North America. The participants are primarily mature scholars working on second or subsequent book projects; they share their work in progress with the aim of deepening and enriching their perspectives, their approaches, and ultimately the final products of their research.

Colloquia

The OI's colloquium meets four or five times a semester to discuss projects (usually a book chapter) in progress. The institute offers overnight accommodations and up to $300 for travel for those chosen to present their work.