Join us for a panel discussion with Charlene Mires and Howard Gillette where we will explore the making of the landmark three-volume publication that celebrates Philadelphia’s role as the beating heart of the nation’s story, unearthing the hidden histories, points of pride, people, places, and communities in the city and region we all love.
We are excited to welcome Charlene Mires and Howard Gillette, editors of Greater Philadelphia and Contributing Editors to the digital Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. We hope to explore the conception of the project, the importance of emphasizing regional connections, and the significant role that New Jersey has played in defining the history, culture and identity of the region.
Join us starting at 5 pm for a reception before the panel begins at 5:30 pm.
About Greater Philadelphia: A New History for the Twenty-First Century
Informed by current scholarship and richly illustrated with full-color photographs and maps, Greater Philadelphia: A New History for the Twenty-First Century brings to the public an up-to-date, diverse history of Philadelphia across its many dimensions. The project’s three volumes—The Greater Philadelphia Region, Greater Philadelphia and the Nation, and Greater Philadelphia and the World—offer fresh, engaging, and inclusive retellings of our region’s history from leading scholars and local voices. This is Philly as you’ve never read it: complex, interconnected, and globally relevant.
VOLUME 1: THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA REGION – Explores how “Greater Philadelphia” came to represent not just a city, but a dynamic region shaped by shared history, infrastructure, and identity across southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and northern Delaware. From early 20th-century department stores to regional planning efforts—this volume delves into the natural boundaries, transportation networks, neighborhoods, and political institutions that connect city and suburb. It offers a compelling portrait of a region defined as much by rivers, roads, and rail lines as by its economic and social interdependence.
VOLUME 2: GREATER PHILADELPHIA AND THE NATION – Chronicles the city’s vital role in shaping American identity, democracy, and movements for justice across centuries. This volume traverses Philadelphia’s revolutionary origins and Civil War divisions through the fight for women’s suffrage, the civil rights and Black Power movements, and more recent moments like the AIDS activism of the 1980s and Occupy Philadelphia. Along the way, it illuminates how questions of citizenship, protest, and belonging have continually played out in the streets, courtrooms, and neighborhoods of the Philadelphia region—from Independence Hall to Girard College, from Germantown to City Hall Plaza.
VOLUME 3: GREATER PHILADELPHIA AND THE WORLD – Reveals how Greater Philadelphia has long been a crossroads of global forces — shaped by waves of migration, transatlantic commerce, and international conflict. From its colonial roots in the British Empire to its rise as an industrial powerhouse and cultural beacon, this volume traces how the region welcomed immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas; became a center of world religions; and responded to global challenges from cholera to COVID-19. It highlights the city’s impact on international labor, education, and peace movements, as well as its role in military conflicts at home and abroad.