Contesting Narratives

Histories are always political; recently, historians’ involvement in politics feels unavoidable. This issue explores contesting historical narratives in public spaces. Emily Sclafani’s “The Danger of a Single Origin Story” and Tina Gross’s “Search Terms Up for Debate” discuss the legacy of old narratives, while Victoria Saker Woeste’s “The Charlottesville Verdict” weaves together historical and contemporary popular history. In “Trolling History,” Alexandra F. Levy examines public blowback against historians, and Alexandra J. Finley’s “Joining the Chorus” argues for understanding of historians as political actors. But will the cracks in the foundation identified by these authors be repaired, stabilize, or end up bringing the whole building down?

Photo: Lisa Brewster/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

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Perspectives on History March 2022 Cover. A brown cover with a image of a tan, plaster wall, damaged by fire, with a crack running up the middle.

Staff

Leland Renato Grigoli, editor
Laura Ansley, managing editor
Alana Venable, research and publications assistant
Alexandra F. Levy, communications manager
Liz Townsend, manager, data administration and integrity