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
Staff
