Historians can often be isolated. They need fellow historians to thrive. After years in graduate school, perhaps more writing a dissertation – how many colleagues will you have who share the same interest?
We are a social species and storytellers, so we periodically need to gather. I recently explored how important that is. You can read about it here.
There are a number of Historian’s organizations.
These tend to be solely for academic historians.
These organization have not been welcoming at all to municipal or public historians.
A number of initiatives have been attempted to bring these two worlds together but, as far as I am aware, none have really broken the ice.
I think a number of things need to change before there can be any level of success in this regard. I have attended so many conferences and seminars where academic and independent scholars have presented. “Presented” is hardly an appropriate term when referring to these communication attempts. The presenter is introduced then he/she buries their nose in their paper and reads (sometimes mumbles) along for 45 minutes to an hour then they sit down. This may have been the only method of communication in the dark ages but in today’s world of the internet, charts, photographs and “Power Point” why would this still take place.
When I was in college taking military science (ROTC) my first class sophomore year was to prepare and present a 5 min. talk (on some appropriate subject) and use at least 5 modes of presentation with in that 5 min. talk. This was reinforced (drilled into us) over the next 3 years. The over arching philosophy was “if the student failed to learn – then the teacher failed to teach” . Part of that philosophy recognized that each of us learn through different modes…different avenues of communication, if you will. After the military and graduate school, I spent 30 years in Eastman Kodak research where this philosophy was guided much of what we did in furthering communications through the visual arts in many different forms. Around 1980, my division purchased 100 IBM single disc drive PCs. First organization to ever do this. This launched us on our way to integrating the PC into all that we did. I won’t go into any more detail except to say “the rest is history”. So after retiring from Kodak and being offered the position of County Historian for Wayne County NY and started attending conferences and seminars, I was absolutely appalled by the presentations I was subjected to by these, so called, experts in one field or another. It was rediculous
to have a paper read to me…a total waste of my time. I can read it better than the mumbling presenter plus I can re-read those sections that catch my eye.
So, why did I relate this story? This story perhaps illustrates the divide or gulf that may still exist between academic historians and the rest of us dedicated to the study, interpretation and sharing of history on the front lines.
I suggest that something needs to change before meaningful progress can be made.