Comments on: HNN’s CLIOPATRIA’s Top 80 History Blogs !?

By: klkatz

klkatz — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:42:34 +0000

thanks for the kudos to my blog… the feeling’s mutual… i’ll have to check out the list…

By: Agatha Gee

Agatha Gee — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:10:42 +0000

This debate is very interesting but rather too USA-centred. Figures like Ralph Luker are totally unknown in Europe and beyond. Who is he to make judgements on the merits of so many blogs? In any case, isn’t there far too much ‘political correctness’ and far too much concentration on issues of gender and race in his choices? What interests him is not necessarily interesting to others who do not share his priorities.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:26:39 +0000

Ralph I appreciate this last post. It’s almost impossible to disagree with you on your examples: Rebecca West, and Civil War blogging as a “choice.” Of course, politics is a huge part of historical evaluation or investigation when looking into the past. I am speaking of political commentary of the here and now and those who are preoccupied with politics of today are really not running a history blog. When we speak of politics today, then we are acting as political commentators living in the here and now. Also, I think those who cannot separate themselves from today when they write about history are not historians at all in the pure sense of it.

I discuss this in my recent post/review: “The Purpose of the Past: Reflections on the Uses of History”
http://www.blog4history.com/?p=378

Anyway, very good post and I appreciate you coming back and following up. If you want to post a follow-up to this I will not respond in order to give you a final say as this whole series of correspondences was my doing. Kind Regards, C,,

By: Ralph Luker

Ralph Luker — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:15:05 +0000

Chris, Let me approach the politics/history issue from a different angle: if you wanted to write a paper about the politics of Rebecca West, you’d have what she wrote — including any publications about historical subjects — as primary sources. Right? You wouldn’t ignore them because of what she said about politics and history, would you? If you ignored her written work as evidence for your subject, you’d have just done a terrible research job. In other words, it’s an illusion to think that we set aside our identity — our gender, social class, ethnicity, religion, and politics — when we write history. Writing history is a process of making choices about what is important, what is interesting, what makes a difference, etc. You surely don’t think that your being an American has no decisive influence on the fact that you decide to blog about the American Civil War. The choice to blog about the Civil War is, already, in many ways a political decision.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:47:36 +0000

Kevin, please read my post AGAIN! I have nothing against your blog, I have something against the list you were on as being described as “central” to “history” blogging. I disagree it is such a list. It is a list of some history blogs, some political commentary, and some I could not identify.

That is all! I’m sure your blog is a fine blog. Post all the current events you want. It’s your blog. I only visited it once, from that list.

Congrats on your success

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:58:26 +0000

Well, speaking for my own inclusion (Ghost in the Machine) on the list (for which I’m quite grateful to Ralph Luker), I’m guessing it may in part have something to do with the fact that I’ve been doing it longer than anyone else (since Nov. ‘99, i.e. six years longer than you — see also: http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2005/0505/0505tec1.cfm)

If your problem with my blog is that I don’t post enough about US history, i’d refer you to the GitM history archives (http://www.ghostinthemachine.net/cat_history.html), the history book reviews subsite (http://www.kevincmurphy.com/orals.html), and/or the continuing discussion on progressivism at GitM, which I’ve partially collated at http://www.smallrrepublic.com.

If your problem with my blog is that it comments on current affairs from the left, well tough.

In any case, since I’ve never seen your referrer in my stats before, I have to presume that you don’t actually read my site at all, and just swung through to make your point. In which case, how you would know whether i deserved to be listed or not?

Most continuing visitors would know that I’ve always posted on politics and film as well as history, and not judge the site solely by the most recent updates.

At any rate, picking a fight with a blog-list you’re not on is an old and venerable tactic for raising the hits on an unread website. I’d begrudge you the cheap tactic, if I hadn’t once did the same thing, back in February-March 2000. So, good luck with that.

By: Brett Schulte

Brett Schulte — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:00:08 +0000

Chris,

I came to this discussion a little late. Thanks though for mentioning my blog as a possible replacement to the more politically centered blogs on the Cliopatria list.

Brett

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:19:10 +0000

J. L. Bell, I think you’re right. Academia is a different world. Good or bad, not saying either.

The reason I do not feel mixing politics and history is good, well, let me just refer to Rebecca West who put it best: when politics comes in the door, truth flies out the window…

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:08:02 +0000

Ralph, I see what you're saying, those TWO I listed there were indeed not left political blogs. I misspoke, after reading/looking through 80 blogs.

You're missing my main point, Ralph.

So are you saying that... Historiblogography, Talking Points, Ghost in the Machine, Hugo Schwyzer, Altercation, Chapati Mystery, Politics & Letters... are good history blogs? (Nothing against these blogs, they're fine blogs.) But like you said, are they "central" to history blogging?

You know at this point we can debate it all day. I frankly do not know how you defend several if not many blogs you list at being "central."

But, yes, keep harping I am "uninformed." Fine, TWO, I got it wrong on TWO. Should I list two more that are left political blogs to replace those!?

By: John Maass

John Maass — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:13:22 +0000

Thanks very much for the compliment. JM