2026-06-26 –, Room 106 (Seats 105)
The WHA Annual Meeting asks, “how can we write, teach, and think about world history in a moment characterized both by global entanglement and anti-globalist politics?” This roundtable is envisioned as a chance to bring together secondary and college-level educators who come from training in various regions and specializations to reflect on how we teach world history today. The goal for this roundtable is to prioritize conversation, pedagogical exchange, and practical insight on the shared challenges instructors at both the secondary and undergraduate levels face in an increasingly politicized classroom. We will explore how the current social, political, and economic environment of the U.S. is influencing our teaching of world history, as well as how we negotiate our own political/ideological position in the classroom. Responding directly to the conference theme, “Closed Borders and Global Connections: Being Global after Globalization,” participants will examine how anti-globalist rhetoric, culture-war politics, post-truth narratives fueled by social media/AI, and ideological polarization are shaping classroom dynamics, curricular design, and student engagement. By bridging secondary and higher education perspectives, this roundtable aims to produce practical insights for navigating politicized classrooms while sustaining the intellectual integrity and global scope of world history.
Instructor of History, Phillips Exeter Academy
Dr. Matthew Bowser is an Assistant Professor of Modern World History at Ohio Wesleyan University. He is the author of Containing Decolonisation: British Imperialism and the Politics of Race in Late Colonial Burma, which was published with Manchester University Press in September 2025. His research focuses on decolonization in Southeast Asia, examining the intersections of imperialism, race, nationalism, and capitalism in the process of achieving independence from colonial rule. His work has been published in the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, the Journal of Asian Studies, and the Journal of Modern Asian Studies.
Monica Ketchum-Cardenas is Professor of History and Sociology at Arizona Western College, and a Lecturer in History and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at San Diego State University-Imperial Valley. She holds degrees in history, with an emphasis in Latin American and world histories; sociology; global affairs; and college teaching and learning. Her work focuses on teaching innovation and curriculum development in history and sociology, and promoting the adoption of OER. Monica was awarded a Fulbright-Hays GPA scholarship to Central Asia in 2018, was an Engaging Eurasia Teaching Fellow at Harvard University in 2020-21 & 2025-26 and a CSEEES Global Fellow at The Ohio State University in 2023-24 and 2024-25. She has served as a delegate for Soroptimist International to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women annual meeting since 2023, and currently serves as president for the Arizona Council for History Education. When not in the classroom, she is creating art, travelling, and working in the community to address issues related to access to education, human trafficking, and gender-based violence.