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| Blogging History Helpful in Research |
| It also builds bridges between academic historians and the wider community |
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C.H.L. George (aeogae)  |
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Published 2005-11-08 10:35 (KST) |
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Seventeenth-century British diarist and government official Samuel Pepys could never have imagined that his words would one day appear on a thing called the Internet.
British web developer Phil Gyford has been blogging "Pepys' diary" every day since Jan. 1, 2003.
The diary was kept between 1660 and 1669, which means that Gyford's enterprise will not be complete until 2012.
In Britain today, Pepys is one of the most popular figures of the 17th century.
Generations of readers have enjoyed his diary for its intimate and often humorous account of daily life in the early modern period.
"Pepys' diary" shows the timeless commonality of human existence, often describing situations that could even happen today.
It is also a fascinating source of historical gossip.
On Nov. 3, 1662, Pepys was told that the king's mistress was pregnant, but that her husband would claim paternity, and that the king's younger brother was so in love with a virtuous aristocrat that she had fled to the countryside to escape.
Here I met with Pierce the chyrurgeon, who tells me that my Lady Castlemaine is with child; but though it be the king's, yet her Lord being still in town, and sometimes seeing of her, though never to eat or lie together, it will be laid to him.
He tells me also how the Duke of York is smitten in love with my Lady Chesterfield (a virtuous lady, daughter to my Lord of Ormond); and so much, that the duchess of York hath complained to the King and her father about it, and my Lady Chesterfield is gone into the country for it. At all which I am sorry; but it is the effect of idleness, and having nothing else to employ their great spirits upon.
Gyford's success has helped spark a fashion for blogging historical diaries.
Other diaries now online include those of Miss Frances William Wynn, the daughter of a 19th-century baronet, 18th-century missionary David Brainerd, and the 20th-century novelist and short story writer Franz Kafka.
These sites are just one part of an expanding community of history blogs.
Natalie Bennett, the Australian journalist behind Miss Frances William Wynn's diary, also writes a feminist history blog "Philobiblon."
Since July 2004 she has discussed the lives and achievements of women throughout history. Readers may also enjoy "Maids, Wives and Mistresses: Early Modern Women" by Oxford PhD student Suzie Lipscomb.
Natalie Bennett is one of the judges for the 2005 Award for History Blogging, hosted by "Cliopatria," a group blog on the History News Network.
"Cliopatria" is one of the focal points of the history blogging community and receives attention from academics throughout the world.
Nominations for best group blog, best individual, best newcomer, best post, best series of posts and best writing are open throughout November.
Winners receive a web icon to display on their blogs, and will be listed on "Cliopatria."
This is the first year for the awards. They were conceived by Sharon Howard, a British academic and the author of "Early Modern Notes." They mark the recognition of the community's expansion.
I asked Sharon, via email, about the growth of history blogging. She told me:
"It seems to be expanding really rapidly at the moment -- I'm finding or being pointed to really interesting new blogs (many of them by postgrad students) almost every week."
A large proportion of history blogs are written by academics and professional historians. Sharon believes that:
"One of the greatest benefits [of history blogging] might be that students and non-historians can encounter people being passionate about history and having debates and discussions about it -- it's not just that awful subject you read about in deadly dull textbooks, and it's definitely not just about learning dates and facts."
American civil rights historian and "Cliopatria" founder Ralph E. Luker agrees that history blogging helps to close the divide between university academics and the outside world:
"Yes, of course, there are gaps between professional academic historians and popular historians. History bloggers as a group have tended to ignore that gap, however, and to their mutual benefit because it means that we are actually communicating with each other instead of marking off the distances."
Academic and Cliopatria Award judge Jonathan Dresner told me that blogging is a useful tool for students:
"It's a cheap and quick form of publishing, in an easily searchable medium. Of course it's useful: If we get good information, good ideas, good debates on-line, it increases the likelihood that people will find good information. It's good writing practice, and it increases communications. There's nothing that teaches you something more than having to teach it or to write about it, and so it could be a great tool for students to practice writing and becoming more expert in a topic."
Jonathan teaches East Asian history and also contributes to "Frog in a Well," a group blog for the study of Japan, China and Korea.
It is one of a number of sites that focus on specific regions. Others include Konrad Lawson's East Asian history blog "Muninn," "Chapati Mystery" and local history research blog "Historic Pelham."
American PhD student Nathanael Robinson writes about continental European history on "The Rhine River."
One noticeable weakness of the history blogging community is that there is little contact between those writing in English and those using other languages. Nathanael tries harder than most to bridge this gap.
He thinks it exists because:
"Language is a high hurdle to jump. Blogs are informal, and they use informal language and favor brevity. To jump into conversations one must be more culturally aware."
For readers who can understand Portuguese and French, Nathanael recommends Nuno Guerreiro's "Rua da Judiaria" and "Medievizmes," by a Belgian medievalist living in Paris.
I would like to know if readers are aware of history blogs written in Korean or other Asian languages. Nobody interviewed for this article knew of any.
Links to over 250 history blogs in English and other languages can be found on "Cliopatria."
The future of history blogging is anyone's guess. Its growth in the last few years suggests that it could become a mainstream activity for all historians before Gyford finishes "Pepys' diary" in 2012.
Blogging has already enabled academics to start reaching out to the wider world beyond the university gates.
With so many translation tools available online, language barriers are not likely to be a problem for much longer.
Blogging democratizes the practice of history. Before its invention scholars could not publicize their work without the approval of academic publishing houses and journals.
This was relatively straightforward for university academics but made life difficult for independent scholars with no financial backing and less formalized training.
As Jonathan Dresner points out, blogging is a cheap and quick form of publishing. It enables everyone to promote their research.
The best-case scenario for the future of history blogging is that it will develop into a meritocratic online world, where good research and writing are recognized regardless of the author's qualifications and background.
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©2005 OhmyNews
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