The Center for Military, War, and Society Studies (CMWSS) was founded at the University of Kansas in 2016 to facilitate essential conversations about – and with – the U.S. military.
Through traditional symposia, workshops, public and digital projects, the Center has brought together scholars, policymakers, and service members from across the world to foster research on the U.S. military’s role not only in national defense but as a central institution in American society.
Explore highlights from the Center's past initiatives, events, publications, and partnerships.
This collection serves as a record of the Center’s commitment to fostering critical conversations at the intersection of military institutions and American society.
Key Symposiums from CMWSS
Symposium on the All Volunteer Force
PUBLIC CONVERSATION ON THE ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE
April 2016
Other accomplishments
Military Public History Award
CMWSS created a Military Public History award in conjunction with KU Memorial Union’s KU history program in 2021; its goal is to help graduate students in KU’s history department gain practical experience in public history. Two exhibits have been curated and mounted in the Union.
Annual Reports
Annual Reception
CMWSS sponsors an annual reception for those who study military history or policy in the region, helping to create a scholarly community that includes representatives from KU, the Command and General Staff College, Army University Press, and School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth; and the departments of history at Kansas State and Park Universities. Various cross-institution partnerships and projects have emerged from this event.
CMWSS at the Society for Military History
CMWSS co-sponsors an annual reception for women historians at the Society for Military History conference in an effort to increase diversity in the field.