Education
Gordon Wood and Historians' "Cultural Baggage": A Discussion
Discussion on a piece by Michael D. Hattem at The Junto: A Group Blog on Early American History entitled, "Where Have You Gone, Gordon Wood?" The piece suggests that scholars' reactions to Gordon Wood can be used as a window into possible generational differences between historians.
- The original piece from The Junto (which contains its own set of conversations in the Comments):
Where Have You Gone, Gordon Wood?Gordon S. Wood is perhaps the most prominent of the many Bernard Bailyn-trained historians to emerge from Harvard in the 1960s and 1970s,...- The Society for U.S. Intellectual History blog excerpted the piece:
Where Have You Gone, Gordon Wood?A few weeks ago, I posted an essay by William Hogeland, on the triumph of ideas over action in this history of the Founding, and how this...- Then the Twitter discussion started:
My new piece on intergenerational conflict in early American history: "Where Have You Gone, Gordon Wood?" @thejuntoblog bit.ly/13YT5rL
Why do historians of early America have problems w/ Gordon Wood? s-usih.org/2013/01/where-… @thejuntoblog #USIH #twitterstorians #foundingfathers
@HartmanAndrew @thejuntoblog Hattem's "harsh tone" thing may be true enough--but check Wood's tone when alluding to povs other than his own!- @HartmanAndrew Seems people are mistaking views of a pref gen I am describing as mine. I don’t feel harshly toward GW which is the point.
- Here begins a discussion between Andrew Hartman, Michael Hattem, Jason Warren, Rachel Hope Cleves, Jonathan Wilson, and Ken Owen on historians and "cultural baggage."
@HartmanAndrew This generation of Americanists doesn't carry as much "cultural baggage"? Seriously?- @lostinhistory But it seems generally true-ish regarding younger intellectual historians, more willing to return to history of elites.
- @HartmanAndrew True, and I think later historiography will show they have returned due to their own "baggage" (hope that makes sense).
- @HartmanAndrew Every historian brings baggage to their work! Just ask RG Collingwood.
- @HartmanAndrew Agreed. And I think the case could be made that this signifies an increase in "baggage" or bias. Not a decrease.
- @lostinhistory Do explain. Perhaps Hattem's choice of words ("cultural baggage") was wrong.
- @lostinhistory I do think it healthy that not all historians compelled to focus every inquiry on race/gender. That's what Hattem meant?
IMHO social + cultural history matter for historians of early American elites, and G Wood should stfu #twitterstorians earlyamericanists.com/2013/01/21/whe…- @HartmanAndrew @lostinhistory not buying the born-in-the-80s beyond cultural-baggage argument. paying attn to exclusion =/= baggage
- @HartmanAndrew and contemporary historians will likely see the genealogy of that evolution when they are reviewed decades from now.
