Framing and Election Information

On January 30, 2025, the World History Association Officers and Council considered and affirmed a Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza (full text below).  The resolution responds to the dire situation facing the teaching, learning, and documentation of history in Gaza; the veto of a similar resolution by the American Historical Association Council in January 2025, and the mission of the World History Association to promote activities which will increase historical awareness, understanding among and between peoples and global consciousness.

Strictly following WHA procedure, we submitted the resolution to a vote of the entire membership of the Association which ran from February 18-25, 2025. The vote passed with 83% of participants in favor of the resolution, 13% opposed, and 4% abstaining with 31% of our membership participating. Therefore, the resolution is affirmed as a measure of the WHA.

In order to ensure that only members participated in the vote and that each member cast only one vote, we used ElectionRunner, the same secure online voting software that we've used for our last two Council elections. You can see the results here.

WHA members who are also AHA members can consider signing the Historians for Peace and Democracy Petition to Members of the AHA Council.

Members with enquiries can email WHA President Trevor R. Getz, tgetz@sfsu.edu.

Full text of the resolution

Whereas the American Historical Association Council on January 17, 2025 vetoed the Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza despite its affirmation by more than 80% of the attendees at the AHA Business Meeting on January 5, 2025; and

Whereas the extensively documented expulsion and murder of historians, librarians, archivists, teachers, and students, and the destruction of schools, libraries, and archives in Gaza, as detailed in Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza, is a matter of concern for all historians; and

Whereas the mission of the World History Association, an affiliated society of the American Historical Association, is to “promote activities which will increase historical awareness, understanding among and between peoples and global consciousness;” and

Whereas these activities are impossible under conditions of scholasticide in Gaza; and

Whereas this is an egregious instance of restrictions on history education and historical documentation worldwide; and

Whereas we support transparent and democratic decision making within the historical profession and efforts to bring attention to the obliteration of historical documents, material culture, and the historical profession;

Therefore be it resolved that the World History Association adopts a version of the American Historical Association’s Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza as detailed in the following three clauses.

Be it further resolved that the WHA supports the right of all peoples to freely teach and learn about their past and condemns the Israeli violence in Gaza that undermines that right; and

Be it further resolved that the WHA calls for a lasting halt to the scholasticide documented in the AHA resolution, which is ongoing despite the current ceasefire; and

Be it further resolved that the WHA will liaise with Historians for Palestine and Librarians and Archivists with Palestine to identify opportunities to support the rebuilding of Gaza’s educational infrastructure.

Finally, be it resolved that the WHA calls upon the American Historical Association and its affiliates to adopt their own versions of this resolution.

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If you are interested in signing up for a WHA membership, you can find more information here.