Recent Themes on Historians and the Public

Original discussions on the public role of history and historians from a pantheon of notable experts

Recent Themes on Historians and the Public represents some of the best recent writing on the public role of historians. These articles and interviews from Historically Speaking examine the relationship between historians and their audiences. Award-winning ＂popular historian＂ Adam Hochschild begins by discussing the relationship between popular and academic history. An all-star cast of historians and editors offer their responses, forming a fascinating extended conversation. This forum addresses questions such as what the public role of the historian should be and whether practicing history requires a license. In addition the book contains a candid exchange about the state of the history profession at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Designed to engage both students and general readers, Recent Themes on Historians and the Public illuminates the controversy over the role of historians in the public sphere.

Donald A. Yerxa is assistant director of the Historical Society and editor of Historically Speaking. A professor of history at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, Yerxa is the author of The Burning of Falmouth, 1775 and Admirals and Empire: The United States Navy and the Caribbean, 1898-1945 and coauthor of Species of Origins: America’s Search for a Creation Story.