History

For the 1960s and the early 1970s, Bernice Carroll characterized the American Historical Association as

“a gentlemen’s protection society . . . openly supporting practices of sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, and antisemitism.” [1]

In December 1969 some historians organized the Coordinating Committee of Women Historians in the Profession (CCWHP). Their goals were to recruit women into the historical profession, to alleviate discrimination against women students and faculty, to secure greater inclusion of women in annual meetings and the committees of the AHA, and to encourage the research in and teaching of women’s history.

The CCWHP soon became an affiliated organization of the AHA. Reflecting the emerging scholarship on women in history, the Conference Group on Women’s History (CGWH) was created in 1974. Since the CGWH remained closely associated with the CCWHP, in 1995 the membership voted to amalgamate the two groups under the name of the Coordinating Council for Women in History (CCWH).

[1] Bernice Carroll, “Scholarship and Action: CCWHP and the Movements,’ Journal of Women’s History, 6 (Fall 1994), 79

Early History

Hilda Smith, Nupur Chaudhuri, Gerda Lerner, Berenice A. Carroll. History of CCWH-CGWH (CCWHP-CGWH, 1994) (PDF download)

Nupur Chaudhuri, Mary Elizabeth Perry. Achievements and Battles: Twenty-five Years of CCWHP (Journal of Women’s History, Volume 6, Number 3, Fall 1994, pp. 97-105)

Nupur Chaudhuri and Barbara Ramusack, The Coordinating Committee on Women Historians: Accomplishments and New Goals (AHA Perspectives on History, September 2010)

Read our special 45th Anniversary Reflections

Past Presidents

The CCWH Advisory Board consists of all the past presidents of the organization.