The state of Civil War historiography is in no way moribund -- we are seeing
bright, fresh, and interesting books and notions appear in the marketplace
of ideas all the time. And remember, there is a standing invitation to all
professionals to write book reviews of any new volume. What confuses me
is the turns conversation has taken, especially recently.
Mind you, I have nothing against reenactors. I invite them to come to my
class all the time, and the presentations they make are always interesting.
Yet reenactment is hardly on the cutting edge of scholarship. What I am
saying is that this discussion group has the power to be a strong tool in the
arms of the community of Civil War historians. This list, like any
professional journal, can serve as a device for communicating new academic
ideas and teaching methods for a wide audience of history and social science
professionals. And, unlike most professional journals, H-CivWar can provide
instant communication.
I do not mean this missive to insult or reprove anyone who has communicated to
this list recently. But I would like for this discussion group to return to
its original purpose -- to be an innovative and useful tool for professional
historians.
Robert A. Harris, H-CivWar
bb05196@bingvmb.bitnet