Making History

The support and camaraderie of close-knit communities were a double-edged sword. Nothing was private and reputations could be ruined at the twitch of the curtain.

Recent studies show the benefits and limitations of giving voice to the thoughts of our predecessors. 

E.H. Carr’s belief that the histories we get depend on the questions we ask is more relevant than ever. 

Plans to measure the impact of historical research as if it were a science will mean fewer history books that excite the general reader. 

Dressing in historical clothes can reveal things about the past that no book can.

Historians are tethered to the archive, but sometimes fixing the gaps requires the techniques of a novelist.

History neglected is as troubling as history erased. We need to rethink the discipline.

Will historians see 2020 as the peak of a global crisis – or will the world continue on its perilous course?

Good references are invaluable, not just to give credit, but to build a map of the paths taken for research.

The presence of Covid-19 is a reminder of our new proximity to the fragilities and perils of the past.