University professors, Canadian literary scholar Ted Chamberlin once observed, are tellers of tales. Some of their stories are new and they call these research. Others - "about evolution and the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, about the Big Bang and the Great War, about justice and freedom, supply and demand, economy and efficiency" - are old, and they call these teaching.  

 

I have long savored Chamberlin's bon mot, for its humanity, for its demystification of some of the academy's more pretentious claims, for the importance it attaches to narrative, and for its particular fit with what we generally do as historians. I was also reminded of its pertinence, and perhaps some of its limitations, at our annual meeting in Chicago, which included a considerable number of sessions related to teaching: of hope; of environmental history in the introductory survey course; on preparing students to practice interdisciplinary environmental history; and on possibilities for teaching environmental history in high schools. 

 

Teaching can, indeed must, involve the telling of compelling stories, but it is no longer (if it ever was) just that. There is a new story making the rounds these days, relayed by university leaders, educational theorists, business gurus, members of the media and others. Less proven than assumed, even myopic and ahistorical, it is that we live in a world of unprecedented change, and that old ways are, therefore, no longer valuable. In education we have heard this in a thousand registers, most of them variants of the claim that the (story-telling) "sage on the stage" must become a "guide by the side," as (passive) teaching is replaced by (active) learning and the focus of the "education process" shifts from teacher to student to achieve "transformative learning" that will better fit the rising generation for the challenges ahead (or, more blatantly, the "job market"). There are just enough catchy phrases, and there is just enough sense in these sorts of formulations to carry people past the pejorative stereotypes, hidden assumptions, and misleading assertions so that the rhetoric can do its ideological work.

 

This is not to say that adaptation and innovation should be rejected out of hand. Of course "the times they are a changin," (and they were long before Bob Dylan marked the fact in 1964). We all know that historians write for their generation, that there is scant justification for teaching that disregards context, and that we must strive for greater inclusiveness and diversity in our curricula as well as our number. But we need to remember that disciplines differ and that they have their own particular attributes. Flipped classrooms, peer-learning, three-minute- thesis presentations and the like have their merits and their places, but they are not universal elixirs. History is not Astrophysics. Character and circumstance, contingency and context, evidence and detail are the essence of History; so too are critical reading, the embrace of complexity and nuance, and careful long-form arguments.

 

Our challenge as educators is to hold these attributes against the tide. A recent upturn in History enrolments at Yale has been attributed to the growing realization that an historical perspective helps us to understand recent political and financial trends and crises. Environmental history is equally vital to addressing other global crises, and we should seize the moment.  

 

In this context, the efforts of our colleagues who teach environmental history in high schools are both inspiring and important. A session devoted to their work in Chicago revealed their necessary responsiveness to changing educational circumstances as well as their deep commitment to encouraging environmental awareness among their students. Such thoughtful, innovative, and dedicated teachers warrant our support. We would do well to increase interactions between school teachers and professional historians, and to develop links of one sort and another between individuals, departments and schools. I urge that we work to facilitate these. Teachers would value closer links with "the professoriate" and we and the world stand to gain from their efforts to build empathy, ethical consideration and greater environmental understanding among our youth, as they prepare to shape their own life-stories by rising to the environmental challenges that face us all.

 

Verena Winiwarter and Nancy Jacobs (pictured far right) address the WEHN reception in Zagreb on June 30th.

The Women's Environmental History Network organized a reception at the recent conference of the European Society for Environmental History in Zagreb, Croatia (ASEH sponsored the reception). Topics discussed included the new listserv, activities at ASEH conferences, the mentoring program, and more. If you are interested in joining or participating, contact Julie Cohn at cohnconnor@gmail.com.

 

Last spring WEHN compiled a "Report on Gender and the American Society for Environmental History," exploring gender inequity in the field of environmental history, particularly with respect to publishing. Noting ASEH's commitment to equity issues and the number of women in ASEH leadership roles, WEHN presented this report to ASEH's executive committee, which made the report public and sent a message to members last spring. Click here to view the report.

Questions:

1. Does the WHEN report reflect your experience in the field of environmental history generally and in ASEH specifically? Please include examples.
2. What solutions would you recommend for issues identified in the WEHN report?
3. Are there other gender, diversity, or equity issues that ASEH should address? Please include specific examples and/or recommend solutions.

The deadline for comments from members has been extended to July 21, 2017. Please send comments to a committee member of your choice; identities will not be disclosed to others.

 

Diversity Committee: Mary Mendoza -marye.mendoza@uvm.edu

Membership Committee: Christoff Mauch - mauch@lmu.de

Grad Student Caucus: Anastasia Day - aday@udel.edu

WEHN - Sarah Hamilton: - sarahrhamilton77@gmail.com

ASEH Rep at Large: Christopher Wells - wells@macalester.edu      

 

We look forward to learning about our members' experiences and thoughts on these issues. Thank you in advance for participating; gender equity is not exclusively a women's issue.

member news

 

 

 

Alice Weinreb recently published Modern Hungers: Food and Power in Twentieth-Century Germany (Oxford University Press: New York, 2017).

 

The following individuals received 2017 fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies:

 

Alessandra Link - Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship - Doctoral Candidate, History, University of Colorado Boulder
The Iron Horse in Indian Country: Native Americans and Railroads in the U.S. West, 1853-1924

Congratulations to all!

Final Notice - Call for Proposals for ASEH's 2018 Conference in Riverside, California

Join us in Southern California next spring! Proposals for panels and roundtables are due July 14, 2017. Click here for more information on submitting proposals.

ASEH Award Submissions Due           

ASEH presents awards for scholarship, service, and achievement. These include prizes for best book, article, dissertation, and public outreach project, and more. The deadline for this year's award submissions is November 17, 2017. For a list of awards and instructions on how to submit, click here.

ASEH Fellowship Applications Due

The Samuel Hays Fellowship is open to practicing historians (academic, public, or independent). Graduate students are ineligible. A Ph.D. is not required. Deadline: November 17, 2017. Click here for submission instructions.

Students enrolled in any Ph.D. program worldwide are eligible to apply for the Hal Rothman Fellowship. Deadline: November 17, 2017. Click here for submission instructions.