Category Archives: deep thoughts
A bit of nostalgia, because it’s that time of year
Last night I filled out all of the necessary back-to-school forms for my kids and wrote out the also-necessary checks (it’s funny just how much money one has to pay for public schools nowadays–from PE clothes to textbooks to tech-related … Continue reading
Martha Sandweiss’s Passing Strange: Excellent History at the Edge of Knowability
The first thing to know about Martha Sandweiss’s Passing Strange is that it is gripping. When I first cracked it open, in a Seattle hotel room last March, I found myself one hundred pages in before checking the time. This … Continue reading
Thoughts on HUMlab and "A Room of Our Own"
Today I attended a presentation about HUMlab from Patrik Svensson of Umea University. He offered some thoughts on trends in the field of Digital Humanities, basing his ideas on his recent series of articles for DHQ. What kept running through … Continue reading
"Letters to a Tenured Historian" now available
My Writing of History class is now reading exemplary histories. In historiography-driven courses, so often the new trumps all. But when a course focuses on history writing, there is a fruitful dialogue between new books and old, often with a different … Continue reading
After the Linguistic Turn, a Productive History of Silences?
Shall we seek the history of silences? Continue reading
A wired life with room to think
I felt acutely aware of the tension between nostalgic notions of the scholar as a deliberative and introspective thinker, a reader and writer with time to ruminate—and a socially networked, interfaced and interactive collaborator. Continue reading
Imagining the Future of History — Are you Isms or Ism-free?
AHA session recap: Imagining the Future of History — Are you Isms or Ism-free? This semester I am offering a graduate course on “The Writing of History” (syllabus here). I’ll talk more about my choices and its progress over the … Continue reading
Some reflections on "The Trouble With History"
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s recent article in Perspectives provoked a fairly strong response in me. Her experiences as a mother and graduate student strike close to home, particularly because she’s been a mentor and role model. And her use of poetry … Continue reading
Adding to the seasonal woes…
I opted not to travel this holiday season because I had a lot of work to get done. I decided that I would keep the holidays simple and spend several hours each day writing, then spending evenings with my family … Continue reading
Haunted by the Strangling Angel (of History)
Cross-posted from History Compass Exchanges I’m a historian because I’m haunted. The words and names from the archives surface in my thoughts and dreams…as I immerse myself in their world, their stories become mine. Am I like a clan storyteller, … Continue reading
