Blog Archive
Staging Slavery and the American Civil War: Suzan-Lori Parks’ *Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3)*
A few weeks ago, I went with Kevin and Michaela Levin to see Suzan-Lori Parks’ new play, Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3) at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The play is part of a longer cycle (there will ultimately be nine parts) but this . . .
Read MoreMr. Wolf, Academic Fixer
Well, hello there. I’m Mr. Wolf. I solve academic problems. Sometimes colleagues, advisers, administrators, or students send you egregious emails or behave in an outrageous manner — yet, you don’t want to ruffle feathers. Mr. Wolf is here to help. I’ll say what you want to say but can’t. I’m not here . . .
Read More4 Reasons Blogs are Great for Academia
Over the past few weeks I’ve been party to several conversations about blogging, its role in the field of history, and in academia in general. What is the point? some people ask. Why would anyone do this? Blogging invites trolls; it doesn’t help anyone get tenure; it’s a ton of work. Yes, . . .
Read MoreWhat Counts as Historical Evidence? The Fracas over John Stauffer’s Black Confederates
Yesterday, John Stauffer — Professor of English and African-American Studies at Harvard — published a piece for The Root entitled, “Yes, There Were Black Confederates. Here’s Why.” In it he argues that “between 3,000 and 6,000 served as Confederate soldiers. Another 100,000 or so blacks, mostly slaves, supported the Confederacy as laborers, . . .
Read MoreWhat If We Loved History Like We Love Football?
This past weekend’s football frenzy—the NFL playoffs (huzzah for the Patriots!) and the college football championship game (congratulations to THE Ohio State University)—got me thinking about how much Americans love this sport, and how extensive the cultural and media infrastructure is that aids and abets this love. And then I started thinking: . . .
Read MoreAHA Street Style
This past weekend, historians of all stripes converged on New York City for the American Historical Association annual meeting. As predicted, the hotel lobbies and concourses were packed with women and men wearing blue and gray suits, sweaters and slacks (ugh, that word! slacks), and dark coats and sensible shoes. Sadly, no . . .
Read MoreTop Ten Looks for your AHA Interview
Every year between Christmas and New Year’s, many young historians (and some older ones) undergo a ritual of sorts. It begins with The Fretting and The Staring At One’s Closet. It quickly turns to The Frantic Hurling of Hangers, with clothing still attached. This is often followed by The Rush to The . . .
Read MoreCivil War Military Historians Are Freaking Out
Let’s imagine that you wake up one morning after many years of writing and speaking and teaching in your academic specialty. You have tenure, you have written a lot of books and articles and book reviews, and colleagues across the profession (and sometimes, complete strangers) know who you are. But you wake . . .
Read MoreExtreme History: Apache Pass, Arizona
As I turned off the highway and onto the county road, I made the call. My husband answered. “I’m going in,” I said. “Okay,” he replied, “Let me know when you’re out.” We hung up and I drove on, squinting in the sun, trying to find the brown road sign denoting a . . .
Read MoreStreet Style at The Southern
It is a truth universally acknowledged that historians are not particularly fashion-forward. The sartorial stereotypes persist: the tweed jacket with elbow patches for men, the flowy linen ensembles for women. Glasses. Sensible shoes. A fine layer of chalk dust covering all. While I haven’t seen many elbow patches lately, it is true . . .
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