June 19, 2018
Atlas Xu, Catholic University PhD History Student

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has awarded a 2018 Gilder Lehrman Scholarly Fellowship to Atlas Xu, a PhD candidate in Catholic University’s Department of History.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute, founded in 1994 to promote the study of American history, supports a variety of programs, prizes and scholarships for teachers and researchers.  Atlas was one of ten awardees in this year’s fellowship program, out of ninety-five applicants.  He will use the financial support to travel to New York and conduct research in federal immigration records, essential material for his dissertation entitled “Navigating Worthiness in America: White Attorneys, Chinese Immigrants, and Black Pensioners 1873-1910”, under the supervision of Professor Timothy Meagher.  Atlas says “The support from Gilder Lehrman enables me to work with my colleagues in a historically immigrant city, and provides an opportunity for more nuanced historical narratives about racial relations and citizenship in the United States.”  Professor Meagher commented that “the award is a testament to Mr. Xu’s exceptional ability as an historian and well deserved.”

Professor Katherine L. Jansen, Chair of the department, adds “The Department of History is extremely proud of Atlas for winning this important fellowship in U.S. history.  The Gilder-Lehrman award is very competitive and Atlas’s achievement shows yet again the strength of the our Ph.D. students and our program.”