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Full-Text Articles in History
Preface, Lee J. F. Deppermann
Preface, Lee J. F. Deppermann
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
It was Karl Marx who observed that individuals do indeed make history, but seldom in the circumstances of their own choosing. Indeed, the primary challenge for every aspiring historian is to understand both impersonal forces that frame historical events and the individual actions that define them. Inherent in this quest for understanding is the duty of historians to detach themselves from contemporary influences and understand the past as the past would have understood itself. The historian Richard J. Evans expressed this mandate well: "One of the greatest problems in writing history is to imagine oneself back in the world of …
Preface, Elise Petersen Lipps
Preface, Elise Petersen Lipps
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
One year ago, Cameron Nielsen approched me at the History Department Banquet with an interesting inquiry. We had seldom crossed paths, so his question surprised me: was I interested in replacing him as the Thetean's editor in chief? Flattered, but preoccupied with an upcoming presentation in Philadelphia and a summer internship in the English Lakes, I agreed to consider his offer with little ambition to follow through. How appreciative I am that Cameron persisted and passed my name to Dr. Jeff Hardy, who extended me a second invitation shortly thereafter. I write this prologue one year later with a grateful …
Foreword, Tyler Balli
Foreword, Tyler Balli
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing
The world we live in is far from perfect. Prejudice, misunderstanding, and fear of the "other"-whoever that other might be-still abound. Perhaps some of these characteristics are simply human and will never be eradicated entirely. But I truly believe that one remedy for these feelings is the study of history. After all, history takes us to times and places completely foreign to us. It requires us to cry to understand people's thoughts, fears, motivations, and reasoning even though they are completely different from our own. Well-researched and well-written history helps us remove labels and discard oversimplifications and generalizations, helping us …