Exorbitant Privilege: US Hegemony and the Discipline of History

Since the Second World War, the United States has occupied an extraordinary position, as not only the most powerful country but also the center, in many ways, of global affairs. This has had serious if infrequently explored consequences for the study of history, because it has placed the United States at the top of the academic food chain. Scholars from the United States wield outsize influence in telling the histories of all countries, and high-achieving historians from all over the world have often trained or worked in the United States. Yet today, that position appears fragile, as US hegemony is in crisis and recent actions by the Trump Administration have endangered the ability of US universities to attract international talent. This would seem a good time to ask how US hegemony has affected the study of history, whether its effects have been salutary, and what might come next.