On the Spot: Gene A. Jarrett

‘Being a careful analyst of history can help anticipate trends in the present and future.’

 The World and Africa : Notes and miscellaneous pages Creator Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963
Notes and miscellaneous pages for W.E.B Du Bois’ The World and Africa, c.1946. James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library/JWJ MSS 8.

Why are you a historian of African American literature?

For its formal experimentation with ideas and language, and for the insights into the diversity of the human condition it affords.

What’s the most important lesson history has taught you? 

That being a careful analyst of history can help anticipate trends in the present and future.

Which history book has had the greatest influence on you?

David Blight’s Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.