History is everywhere. I’ve always kind of known that, but since starting The Pragmatic Historian and purposely looking for it, I want to shout it from the rooftops: “HISTORY IS EVERYWHERE!!” Where the Past Begins Within the past week, I finished reading Amy Tan’s memoir, “Where the Past Begins.” If the title isn’t enough to convince you that she used history to write the book (the word “Past” is a dead giveaway), she opens the…
The Importance of Dating Today on The Pragmatic Historian, we’re going to discuss dating advice. Lest you think this has suddenly become a venue along the lines of Emily Post, Miss Manners or Tinder, let me put your mind at ease. Dating in the context of history is more mundane than building a relationship with a potential romantic partner but, I’d argue, no less important. In my post History in Numbers, where I discuss the…
I recently ran across an article on my Twitter feed shared by Century Past History (@lienhart85). The article, called “Why I Am a Historian: A Response to Mary Beth Norton,” is by Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida. Compelled to History Guerra explains how studying history was a necessity for her because she wanted to understand the racism she experienced as a Cuban immigrant in the United States.…