For most folks, a historian is a scholar concerned about the past, possibly with an obsession over dates. Within the academy, historians are considered unreliable social scientists (economic history is never quite as rigorous as real economics) or denizens of the humanities who focus in nonfiction. Good historians write well, but not too well. As a discipline, a systematic…
Tag: Tony Judt
Past Imperfect, Past Excellent – Tony Judt
In the late 1980s I completed a M.A. at New York University. My sense of disciplinary distinctions was not strong, foreshadowing other problems I’ve experienced staying within the lines. Interested in politics and history, my first course was comparative political science. It was not a good fit. Checking out the book store and course syllabi,…