Author Archives: admin
Shell Shock in Historical Studies
Exigent connections in recent historical fields
The field of historical study is under constant growth and transformation. A new trend among historians is to examine much more specific areas within the broader disciplines. This new focus has many advantages for the student of history. The exploration of a very specific field requires investigation into the smallest details of that field and how …
Continue reading “Exigent connections in recent historical fields”
Boxers & Saints
The two graphic novels of Gene Luen Yang, Boxers and Saints, are a high school level set of texts that do a thorough job of highlighting the events leading up to and surrounding the Boxer Rebellion from two very different standpoints. The approach gives a general overview and the novels are interdependent. While Yang attempts to convey …
My Historiography: Genre and Approach
The term shell shock was introduced into modern culture during WWI. This terrifying syndrome would become the subject of much study. Secondary sources on WWI shell shock victims show an evolution of understanding and empathy as the horrific experiences of the WWI soldier were examined by historians that emphasized factual cultural representations of these traumatized …
Military History for the Modern Student
The study of military history is an ever expanding and changing field that is not well understood by the public at large. Mainstream audiences live in a sort of reflective nostalgia that is fed by popular books and movies designed to thrill rather than enlighten. The academic study of military history is divided into three …
On standards for quality academic history
The study of history has a large and diverse audience which mostly absorbs information through books, films, the internet, and television. Quality academic study of historical issues and events is a different construct. The professional historian has a much more complex task of investigation and interpretation than the casual observer. The professional historian is as …
Continue reading “On standards for quality academic history”
Approach
Few learn much from history, who do not bring much with them to its study. Mill (1869)