symposium — Blog 2 — Beth Bailey

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

Featured

Teaching Military History Symposium

CMWSS launched a digital Teaching Military History to support the teaching of military history at both university and pre-university level. It is widely used by historians, both those in the field and those who want to incorporate discussions of war or military in other courses.

The War on Drugs

A symposium held (virtually) in 2020 on the 50^th anniversary of Richard Nixon’s declaration of “war,” led to publication of an edited volume by New York University Press in 2023. It was accompanied by a wide range of resources on the Center website.

War & Environment

A symposium held in 2021, broke new ground in combining the perspectives of military and environmental history. An edited volume was published in 2024.

Invading Iraq: Diplomatic, Political, and Military Perspectives

A 2023 conference on the 20^th anniversary of the US invasion, was held in collaboration with US Army military and civilian leadership at Fort Leavenworth. It included scholars from three nations and drew an audience of approximately 100. A special journal issue is in progress.

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

2025

2023

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.

2020-2021

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.