originally published 5/1/1998
This Archive Feature presents three interviews with historians from Volume 31 (1998) of the Journal. First, Keith Windschuttle, the author of The Killing of History, speaks about the change that has happened in historical studies. Second, historian Wilfred McClay gives a brief response to the previous interview, discussing the structural reasons that encourage new academic trends. These include the negation of the work of preceding historical study and the pressure put on historians by their peers to innovate regardless of the factual basis. Finally, David Harlan, the author of The Degradation of American History, describes the role of the historian as resuscitating texts and finding an interpretation through which they can speak to the present.
33 minutes
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