In 2023, Perspectives on History continued to showcase the vital work of historians and highlight the diversity of the discipline. Perspectives sought to keep educators updated on the state of the field and advocated for teaching history with integrity in the midst of worrying legislation around the country. Some teachers included students in the national conversations. And as the world reckons with artificial intelligence, historians engaged with the growing technology, with some incorporating ChatGPT into classroom assignments, encouraging others to embrace AI’s ability to improve their writing, or pleading for caution.
The nine print issues of Perspectives on History covered topics related to ghosts, the connections between journalism and history, teaching history with integrity, and more.
This summer, we collected recipes that made our mouths water for a series on food and foodways. In the fall, we took on half of the Barbenheimer cultural phenomenon. We also published articles on San Francisco history, encouraging readers to learn about the subway system, the environment of Silicon Valley, and the origins of California wine, before heading to the Golden Gate city for our annual meeting. We continued sharing our love of reading with #AHAReads and recognized previously excluded historians with the Long Overdue project. Perspectives also took on new projects, with a thread on urbanity and rurality, recaps of the AHA’s History Behind the Headlines webinar series, and the new section Behind the Scenes at the AHA.
As we look forward to the new year, the Perspectives team offers a list of the articles that resonated most with readers from each month. Enjoy this look back on popular articles from 2023.
January
Guidelines for Broadening the Definition of Historical Scholarship by James Grossman
On January 5, 2023, the AHA Council approved the Guidelines for Broadening the Definition of Historical Scholarship.
February
Hope in the Dark by Scott G. Bruce
Everything has a history, including ghost stories.
March
St. George’s Ribbon by Brandon Schechter
As Russia wages war on Ukraine, its imagery has leaned heavily on an old icon.
April
Teaching the History Wars by Megan Threlkeld
In a seminar on the history wars, Megan Threlkeld provides students with a strong foundation for understanding the stakes of battles over history and the humanities.
May
Of Potato Latkes and Pedagogy: Cooking for the History Classroom by Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall
A cooking assignment helps illuminate the lives of Jewish women in the past for students.
June
The Imperial Daiquiri: A Brief History of American Empire in One Cocktail by Ian Seavey
From the Spanish-American War to modern cocktail bars, the daiquiri has a long legacy entangled with US imperialism in the Caribbean.
July
Beyoncé’s “Formation”: Homeplace Making in Black Memory and Imagination by Bethany Bell
In a music video, Beyoncé takes viewers on an imaginative journey of Black ownership and community building.
August
Startup Imperialism: Venture Capital and the Age of Exploration by Arinn Amer
A re-examination of the Age of Exploration may have more than a little to teach us about modern venture capitalists.
September
Students Critique a ChatGPT Essay: A Classroom Experiment by Jonathan S. Jones
Asking students to edit an AI-generated essay in class teaches them about what a chatbot can and can’t do.
October
On Ideological Litmus Tests: Historians and the Current Threats to Academic Freedom by Edward Muir
Whether they come in the form of loyalty oaths or oppressive new state standards, historians must resist attempts to restrict the teaching of honest history.
November
Trouble in Texas: Culture Wars, the Meaning of History, and Academic Freedom by Carlos Kevin Blanton
A political controversy couched as a leadership fight roils the Texas State Historical Association.
December
The Right to Buy Arms: Gun Consumption in 20th-Century America by Laura Ansley
In Andrew C. McKevitt’s new book, he studies not just the right to bear arms but the buying of them.
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