The LA History & Metro Studies Group fosters the study and understanding of southern California history and the history of metropolitan areas more broadly. Through seminars on scholarly works-in-progress, book lectures, and panel discussions on contemporary issues facing southern California and American cities, our goal is to promote urban history scholarship as a means of enriching the field and informing policy-making toward a more just, equitable future for our urban regions.
Events
Friday September 20, 2024 – special event panel discussion – Seaver 1-2 “A Better Way: James Lawson, Architect of Non-Violence” Documentary Film, a panel discussion with the filmmakers:
Karen Hayes, director/producer
Pamela Tom, producer
Caitlin Parker, archival producer
Friday October 11, 2024 – Dissertation Workshop – short, pre-circulated papers – Seaver 3 “You Only Get What You’re Organized to Take: The National Union of the Homeless and the Struggle for Urban Land, 1987-1993″
Annie Powers, Ph.D. candidate, History, UCLA
“Insurgent Ecologies: Against Containment and Pollution in Los Angeles’ Port Cities.” Stephanie Martinez, PhD candidate, UC San Diego
Friday November 15, 2024 – panel discussion – Seaver 1-2
“A People’s History of Environmental Justice in the IE”
Catherine Gudis, Associate Professor of History, UC Riverside
Jennifer Tilton, Professor of Race and Ethnic Studies, University of Redlands Audrey Maier, Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California
Live from the Frontline Artists & Community History Keepers
Tues. January 21, 2025, 7:00pm – pre-circulated paper – Autry Museum of the American West ** Joint session with The Autry Museum of the American West
“Black Cowboys: Community Curation and the Role of the Curator in Public History” Tyree Boyd-Pates, Associate Curator, The Autry
Friday February 28, 2025 – pre-circulated paper – Seaver 1-2
“Policing Austerity: Proposition 13 and the Fiscal Limits of Law and Order in Los Angeles.”
David Helps, postdoctoral fellow, USC
Friday March 21, 2025 – pre-circulated paper – Seaver 3
“Moving the Meter Outdoor: Electricity and Urban Informality in Greater Los Angeles, 1900–1930”
Jan Hansen, visiting Associate Professor of History, UC San Diego
Friday April 11, 2025 – Clark Davis lecture – Seaver 3
“Golden States: How California Religion Went from Cautionary Tale to Global Brand” Eileen Luhr, Professor of History, CSU Long Beach
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Announcements will be emailed two weeks prior to each session, with logistical and RSVP
information as well as links to pre-circulated papers (we are unable to distribute papers earlier
than this). At that time, you can also access the paper via a link posted on the ICW website. We
request that participants read the papers if attending.
If you would like to receive announcements for these sessions, please fill out the form at
http://tinyurl.com/LAMetroList
If you’d like to attend, you must RSVP for each session. All sessions will begin at 10:30
a.m. in the Seaver Classrooms in the Munger Building at The Huntington Library, except for the
January 21 session at The Autry at 7 p.m. See schedule for more details. Parking is free at both
The Huntington and The Autry.
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Image credit: Building being demolished, U.S. Post Office, Los Angeles, Calif., 1937, Dick Whittington Studio, USC Libraries Special Collections.
Recorded Sessions
Selected sessions from “#TIMESUP” to “Election 2018: The Political Landscape in LA and California” have been recorded and are available for viewing.
RSVP to a meeting
If you would like to receive announcements for these sessions, please fill out the form at the RSVP link above.
For Zoom sessions: We will include Zoom sign-in information in the e-announcement. Please sign in on time. Please keep your video on and your audio muted until introductions and/or discussion begins. For those new to Zoom, please watch this video on etiquette (aimed at a student audience, but mostly apropos): https://spark.adobe.com/video/IzGAneJs8BNJr.
For in-person sessions: All sessions will begin at 10:30am in Seaver Classroom 3, in the Munger Building, Huntington Library, unless otherwise noted. Please check e-announcements for exact location of sessions. Parking is free.
For more information, email the co-coordinators — Kathy Feeley, Oscar Gutierrez, Becky Nicolaides, Caitlin Parker, and Andrea Thabet — at LA.History.Group@gmail.com.
Archived Schedules
Schedules by year as well as a cumulative list of all presenters and papers are available for review.