If you've been to grad school, you know that PhDs are NOT easy. Nor is academia for people who can't handle the real world. And how on earth can I invite a journalist or other real-world type to talk to students about events that occurred well before living memory?

It would be nice for you to actually talk to some academics before you smear us all with the same inaccurate brush.

It would also be nice to know what you think history "theories" are. Since I teach a course on the subject, I can say that there are as many different definitions and theories about history as there are people who recognize the concept.

Posted at June 6, 2008 5:26 PM in response to Rethinking Historical Analogies

Self-disclosure: I'm an academic historian (though since I work on the crusades rather than stuff anyone can remember, I've got a bit of a break) who teaches philosophy of history courses.

The academics always and unfairly pile on anyone who writes a successful trade book, and it helps if the author isn't an academic historian. Yet the flip side is that most successful trade histories are narrative histories--that is, they describe a series of events. (Personally, I find this type of history much less interesting than what the events MEAN. But if you scratch most non-academic history buffs, narrative history is their favorite type.) The sorts of questions academics ask lead to publications usually described as "boring." And this means most academics usually only talk to one another in their writing, and so their books don't reach the general public. It's a horrible catch-22. The academics only talk to each other, then wonder why nobody wants to read their stuff, then chastise any non-academic who writes a good book because it's not really "history."

For anyone who's interested in an example, I offer my own work. I've been exploring the connection between crusading and gender constructions--NOT what actually happened on any given crusade. And I see a lot of parallels between masculinity, crusading, and the Bushies' drum-beating. So if you're interested in a non-narrative analysis of preaching the First Crusade, and you think you can handle an article that was intended for other specialists, knock yourself out: http://www.middlebury.edu/NR/rdonlyres/7B14E2C0-838A-4DB0-A6BF-9B1AAC98A318/0/GerishPaper.pdf

And if you've got comments, just google me. I'm at Emporia State University in Kansas.

Posted at June 3, 2008 11:30 PM in response to Rethinking Historical Analogies

Who defined insanity as repeating the same actions over and over again, hoping for different results? Reminds me of the current govt!

Posted at May 27, 2008 3:38 PM in response to Obama Camp To McCain: Thank You For Highlighting My Leadership On Nukes

Off topic, and I know it: The Great Gatsby actually SOUNDS better than it reads. When I heard it on CD read by a really good voice actor, I was blown away. Audiobooks can add a whole new dimension to "the classics" that would otherwise bore me.

Posted at May 27, 2008 3:33 PM in response to A Sane Discussion Of Hillary And The Popular Vote

You've got the basic facts, but that was a different "Iran." Persia did indeed challenge the Roman Empire pretty successfully, but around the time Muhammad was receiving and writing down the Koran, they were washed up. Historians of Islam now think that part of the reason Islam spread so fast was because the Persians and Romans had worn each other out, and Arabia was perfectly poised (geographically) to move in.

Sorry for the lecture. I'm a history prof, and I've been on sabbatical, so I haven't been ABLE to lecture.

Posted at May 27, 2008 3:23 PM in response to Pentagon Shill Returns to CNN to Talk About Iran

I too wondered about the logic of this statement. If I'm a Democrat living in a red state, does the Republican ooze into my system after a while?

Posted at May 20, 2008 1:01 PM in response to GOP Congressman's Ad Hits Opponent's "San Francisco Values" -- With A Disco Beat

Asked to comment, McCain spokesperson Brian Rogers emails: "This just in: George Soros' charitable foundation gave money to push campaign finance reform, the spirit of which he’s now clearly violating with a $40 million partisan attack ad campaign."

Is this the campaign finance reform McCain's violating with all of his FEC shenanigans? Wow, can the pot call the kettle black or what!

Posted at April 11, 2008 4:34 PM in response to McCain Attacked Soros-Funded Dem Effort -- But Soros Gave $300,000 For Legal Defense Of McCain-Feingold

You're right: academic freedom is a really tricky issue. I'm a history professor at a small, pretty conservative school. If students got offended at, say, how I teach about human sexual relationships in Ancient Greece, I've only got tenure to protect me--UNLESS the university can fire me "for cause" (i.e., they caught me sleeping with students or dealing drugs). I've been on the fence about Yoo's academic status ever since people here mentioned writing to the dean. My partner is also a professor, and he believes that crimes against humanity constitute a firing offense. But as Ben points out, Yoo hasn't been convicted of these crimes. If only someone would start proceedings.

Posted at April 11, 2008 4:29 PM in response to Berkeley Law Dean: Yoo Was Not The Decider