AHA President Barbara D. Metcalf begins the February 2010 issue of Perspectives on History with a story about a recent exchange she had on Indian history with an engineer, in “Historians and Chemical Engineers.” In this piece she notes that, “History may in some ways be primarily the purview of professionals, but it is also an intimate part of personal identity and a critical element in social belonging.” She goes on to talk about last annual meeting’s miniconference as well as the one scheduled for the 2011 meeting and how they “highlight historians’ work as a resource in public life.”

Looking Back
Executive Director Arnita Jones then takes a look back 33 years and wonders “Has the profession done nothing, learned nothing in more than three decades?” when it comes to informing historians of jobs outside academe in her article “Bookends.”

Speaking of looking back, Carl Mirra offers “Forty Years On: Looking Back at the 1969 Annual Meeting.” In this article Mirra looks to the events of the Business Meeting at the 1969 annual meeting and more briefly at the 2007 annual meeting. He notes that “historians should be aware of how the organization’s past history contributed to its current state.”

The Art of History
On the cover this month is Leonard Tsugouharu Foujita’s Woman Writing and pairs with Lynn Hunt’s article on “How Writing Leads to Thinking (And not the other way around).“ This article is part of a new series on “The Art of History” where senior scholars share thoughts and advice on the art and craft of historical research and writing.

News
In the news this month, a new miniconference on “Religion, Peace, and Violence” is planned for the 2011 Annual Meeting, Wm. Roger Louis is appointed to the Kluge Center’s Chair for Countries and Cultures of the North, the February 2010 AHR is now available, and the NHA is inviting participants to this year’s National Humanities Advocacy Day.

Washington and Affiliate News
From the National Coalition for History read about the “Obama Executive Order Issued to Expedite Declassification” and other news briefs. Meanwhile the National History Center reports on that “Paul Kennedy Dissects the Sinews of Power at NHC-CFR Conversation in New York.”  And finally, learn of the new exhibit, ”Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On,” at the Folger library.

More
For those who are on the teaching track, read Samuel Huston Goodfellow’s article on “How to Apply for a Position at a Small College. ” This issue also contains two letters to the editor (“Research and High School Students” and “Taking the Road Less Travelled”) and an article from the “In Memoriam” column for Carol A. Breckenridge.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.