image: Raúl A. Ramos view more
Credit: University of Houston
University of Houston (UH) associate professor of history Raúl A. Ramos is one of three scholars in the U.S. selected by the Organization of American Historians (OAH) to receive a 2015 China Residency. Ramos will teach a one-week seminar on the American West to graduate students and faculty at Renmin University in Beijing, China this summer.
"The Department of History is incredibly proud of Professor Ramos's accomplishment. This honor comes from the Organization of American Historians, the leading academic society for scholars of U.S. history, and it indicates the very high esteem in which Professor Ramos is held among top historians throughout the country and a testament to the global reach and impact of our faculty. Professor Ramos is among the very best. We are lucky indeed to have him on the UH faculty," said Nancy Beck Young, chair of the history department at the UH.
Ramos, along with two other award recipients from U.S. universities, will teach seminars in China thanks to a grant from the Ford Foundation given to the OAH and the American Research Association of China (AHRAC). As part of the exchange program, three Chinese scholars are provided the opportunity to conduct research in the U.S.
"I'm very excited for the opportunity to teach American history in Beijing through the OAH China Residency Program. My course focuses on the history of the American West with the eye towards new ways we define the region across boarders and oceans. Chinese faculty and graduate students who specialize in American history will also participate, giving them the chance to keep up with current trends in the field. I'm looking forward to hearing their perspectives as scholars interested in American history that come from distinct academic and cultural traditions," Ramos said. "Often, the best way to understand a subject is to experience if from the outside. I can then bring that perspective back to my students and colleagues at the University of Houston."
Ramos is the author of the award-winning book, "Beyond the Alamo: Forging Mexican Ethnicity in San Antonio, 1821-1861" where he introduces a new model for the transnational history of the U.S. by placing Mexican-Americans at the center for the Texas creation story and co-editor of "Recovering this Hispanic History of Texas." He frequently speaks on expanding the views of Texas and Borderlands history. His current research examines Mexican Independence parades and Fiestas Patrias in the American Southwest during the 1910 centennial. He earned a Ph.D. in history from Yale University and A.B. in history and Latin American Studies from Princeton University.
The award was announced on April 18 during OAH's annual meeting in St. Louis.
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Founded in 1907, the OAH is the world's largest professional association dedicated to American history scholarship. With more than 7,800 members from the U.S. and abroad, OAH promotes excellence in the scholarship, teaching and presentation of American history, encouraging wide discussion of historical questions and equitable treatment of history practitioners. For more information, visit http://www.oah.org/
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 40,900 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.