Working Historians is a podcast series that showcases the work and careers of historians in a wide variety of career fields. We hope to introduce history students and the general public to the career paths available to people who study history, introduce and promote historians to students and the public, and showcase the work that historians do on a regular basis. Hosts Rob Denning and Jimmy Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com.
Episodes
Thursday Dec 24, 2020
Thursday Dec 24, 2020
Dr. Paul McKenzie-Jones teaches history, focusing on political activism among Native Americans and other indigenous peoples around the world.
This episode’s recommendations:
Nick Estes, Our History is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Resistance of Indigenous Resistance (Verso, 2019), https://www.versobooks.com/books/2953-our-history-is-the-future
Susan Sleeper-Smith, Juliana Barr, Jean M. O’Brien, Nancy Shoemaker, and Scott Manning Stevens, eds., Why you Can’t Teach United States History without American Indians (University of North Carolina Press, 2015), https://uncpress.org/book/9781469621203/why-you-cant-teach-united-states-history-without-american-indians/
Patricia Nelson Limerick, The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West (W.W. Norton, 1987), https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393304978
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
Dr. Cassandra Clark teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University and Salt Lake Community College and is a public historian with the State of Utah’s Department of Heritage and Arts. In this episode, we will discuss Dr. Clark’s academic and professional background, her work with the State of Utah, and her research on the history of insanity and the environment in the American West, with discussions of eugenics, phrenology, and the changing scientific understanding of how the human brain works.
This week's recommendations
Utah Department of Heritage & Arts, Salt Lake West Side Stories: https://newnationproject.utah.gov/salt-lake-west-side-stories/
Denver Public Library, “When the KKK Ruled Colorado: Not So Long Ago,” https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/when-kkk-ruled-colorado-not-so-long-ago
Janet Miron, Prisons, Asylums, and the Public: Institutional Visiting in the Nineteenth Century (University of Toronto Press, 2011), https://utorontopress.com/us/prisons-asylums-and-the-public-4
Carla Yanni, The Architecture of Madness (University of Minnesota Press, 2007), https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/the-architecture-of-madness
Timothy Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name (Penguin Random House, 2004), https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/181459/blood-done-sign-my-name-by-timothy-b-tyson/
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
Dr. Guy Ruoff teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University and is Town Supervisor for Scott, New York. In this episode, Guy talks to Rob about his academic and professional background, his present and future political career, and the importance of historical knowledge in the political sphere.
This episode’s recommendations:
The Memory Palace podcast: https://www.prx.org/memory-palace/?gclid=CjwKCAiA7939BRBMEiwA-hX5J-QrMyhtslsmIXC6xsvyk-9w1DAfKaYkcdra6-w-7losaludcCtFDBoC-e8QAvD_BwE
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
Deirdre Lannon teaches history at Texas State University. In this episode, Deirdre discusses her academic and professional background (including her time fronting a rockabilly band!) and her dissertation research topic, Ruth Reynolds and her role in the fight for Puerto Rican independence.
Friday Oct 30, 2020
Friday Oct 30, 2020
Scott Black teaches history at numerous colleges and universities, including Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Scott talks about his academic and professional background, his career teaching history, and the challenges and rewards of writing historical fiction.
This episode’s recommendations:
Sabaton: https://www.sabaton.net/
Various Authors, The American Yawp: https://www.americanyawp.com/
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
Karen Sieber is a Humanities Specialist for the Clement and Laura McGillicuddy Humanities Center at the University of Maine. In this episode we discuss her academic and professional background, the major public history research projects with which she has been affiliated, her work at the Humanities Center, and our history-related recommendations
This week's recommendations:
Visualizing the Red Summer http://visualizingtheredsummer.com/
Goin’ North: https://goinnorth.org/
Chicago Defender: https://www.chicagodefenderarchives.org/
African-American Civil War Soldiers Project: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/usct/african-american-civil-war-soldiers
Monroe Work Today: https://plaintalkhistory.com/monroeandflorencework/
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee: https://snccdigital.org/
Charleston Syllabus: https://www.aaihs.org/resources/charlestonsyllabus/
Christopher Tomlins, In the Matter of Nat Turner: A Speculative History (Princeton University Press, 2020), https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691198668/in-the-matter-of-nat-turner
Rob’s interview with Christopher Tomlins for the New Books Network: https://newbooksnetwork.com/christopher-tomlins-in-the-matter-of-nat-turner-a-speculative-history-princeton-up-2020/
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Adam Lehman is Assistant Professor of History at Guilford Technical Community College. In this episode we discuss his academic and professional background and his research into the missed privateering opportunities of the War of 1812.
This episode’s recommendations:
Jeff Kinard, “Lectures in History: Civil War Weaponry,” C-Span, https://www.c-span.org/video/?465611-1/civil-war-weaponry
Footnoting History Teaching Guide: https://www.footnotinghistory.com/teach.html
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
It’s Constitution Day! This presentation will include a roundtable discussion of the origins of the Constitution, some of its provisions, and its influence on modern life in the United States by a panel of historians and political scientists, including Michael Gattis, Harley Hall, Robbin Mellen, Jeremy Pedigo, and Brigitte Powell. Associate Dean Robert Denning hosts the presentation. Listeners can access the podcast on the Working Historians Podbean page, workinghistorians.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and any other podcast app. Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is an American federal observance recognizing the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens by birth of naturalization. It is normally observed Sept. 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787 in Philadelphia.
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Shenetha Solomon is a historical consultant, a doctoral student, and an instructor at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode we discuss her academic and professional background, and we focus on her research into the history of the town of Taft, Oklahoma, and her family’s connections to the town. This episode’s recommendations: Daina Ramey Berry, The Price for their Pound of Flesh: The Value of the Enslaved, From Womb to Grave, in the Building of a Nation (Penguin Random House, 2017): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/538529/the-price-for-their-pound-of-flesh-by-daina-ramey-berry/ Jamie Goodall, Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: From the Colonial Era to the Oyster Wars (History Press, 2020): https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467141161 Rob’s New Books Network interview with Jamie Goodall about Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: https://newbooksnetwork.com/jamie-l-h-goodall-pirates-of-the-chesapeake-bay-from-the-colonial-era-to-the-oyster-wars-the-history-press-2020/
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2020.
In this final recording, Bruno Brulon Soares, Chair of ICOFOM, hosts the 2020 annual assembly, discussing the organization’s activities and finances.
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2020.
In our third and final panel presentation, Deborah Ziska presents “Museums of the Americas Facing Crises in the 21st Century: The Rise of Relevance and Community Empowerment” and Minnie Coonishish presents “Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute, Agents and Actants in a Regional Cultural Institute.” Luciana Menezes de Carvalho moderates.
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2020.
In our second panel presentation, Alyce Sadongei presents “Connectedness and Relationship: Foundations of Indigenous Ethics within the Tribal Museum Context” and Marion Bertin presents “Challenging Museums and Collections: Toward an Indigenous Ethics in the Pacific Islands. Michele Rivet moderates.
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2020.
To kick off the second day of the symposium, Susie Chung provides opening remarks, Vedet Coleman-Robinson presents “The Importance of Museums in Community Through a Virtual Lens,” and Patricia A. Banks presents “Cultural Philanthropy and Diversity in the 21st Century.”
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2020.
In this first panel presentation, Victoria Miller presents “From Nails to Rails: A Museological Case Study of the Steelworkers Center of the West” and Claudia Ankrah presents “Visibilization in Public History Institutions: The Socio-Political Role of Museums.” Supreo Chanda moderates.
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Working Historians is excited to broadcast the proceedings of "Theoretical Museology in US and Tribal Contexts," a symposium organized and hosted by the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM), International Council of Museums - US (ICOM-US), the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). The symposium was held online on August 27 and 28, 2020.
To kick off the symposium, Robert Denning provides opening remarks, Bruno Brulon Soares presents “Theoretical Museology and Community Practice: A Post-Colonial Approach,” and Jessie Ryker-Crawford presents “Re-Adjusting Museum Theoretics (and Hence, Practice,) to Include Indigenous Community Needs and Values.”
Tuesday Aug 04, 2020
Tuesday Aug 04, 2020
Sarah Estee teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Rob and Sarah discuss the use of film as a teaching tool in history courses, and touch on some of the more notorious history-based films in recent decades (ahem, 300…).
This episode’s recommendations:
Robert Rosenstone, History on Film/Film on History (Pearson, 2006)
Disgraceland Podcast: https://www.disgracelandpod.com/
Noble Blood Podcast: http://noblebloodtales.com/
Hardcore History Podcast: https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/
AHA job report: https://www.historians.org/ahajobsreport2020
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Dr. Gregory Robinson teaches history for Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode we discuss his career teaching high school students, his research into Native American trickster gods and other aspects of mythology, his brief stint as a playwright, and the connections he has drawn between history and motorcycles.
This episode’s recommendations:
Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States (Harper Collins, 2015)
Seamus Heaney, Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Farrar, Strous, and Giroux, 2000)
Gar Alperovitz, Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam (Pluto Press, 1994)
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., A Thousand Days: JFK in the White House (Houghton Mifflin, 1965)
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., Violence: America in the Sixties (New American Library, 1968)
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., “Origins of the Cold War,” Foreign Affairs 46:1 (October 1967)
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Crisis of Confidence: Ideas, Power, and Violence in America (1969)
Vikings (TV Show)
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
Larry Tye is a journalist and the Director of Health Coverage Fellowship, which helps print, radio, TV, and online journalists and editors better cover health care issues. He also recently published Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Joe McCarthy. In this episode, we discuss the book, Larry’s background, and his perspective on the state of journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Links:
Larry Tye, Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Joe McCarthy (Houghton Mifflin, 2020)
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Benjamin Carr teaches history at Southern New Hampshire University. In this episode, Rob, James, and Ben discuss Joshua Norton, the first Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. It’s such a San Francisco story. This episode’s recommendations: Albert Dressler, Emperor Norton: LIfe and Experiences of a Notable Character in San Francisco, 1849-1880 (Sacramento: News Publishing Company, 1927), https://archive.org/details/emperornorton1927dres Neil Gaiman and Shawn McManus, “Three Septembers and a January,” The Sandman, vol. 2, no. 31 (October, 1991)
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
In this episode, Jeff Czarnec and Rob Denning belatedly introduce themselves, provide some background on the Policing a Free Society podcast, and attempt to define and preview many of the concepts that will pop up in future episodes of the series, including the changing interpretations of history and human behavior and the complexity of policing a free society.
Sunday Jun 14, 2020
Sunday Jun 14, 2020
Dr. Richard Driver is an Assistant Professor of History at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. In this episode, Richard discusses his research into twentieth-century musicians and his career teaching history. This episode’s recommendations: Lisa Brooks, Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War (Yale University Press, 2019), https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300244328/our-beloved-kin and https://ourbelovedkin.com/awikhigan/index Kenneth Womack, Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles (Cornell University Press, 2019), https://kennethwomack.com/books/beatlesbooks/solid-state-the-story-of-abbey-road-and-the-end-of-the-beatles/ Julian Zelizer and Kevin Kruse, Fault Lines: A History of the United States since 1974 (Penguin Random House, 2019), https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/605403/fault-lines-by-kevin-m-kruse/9780393357707 Song Exploder Podcast: http://songexploder.net/ Idiocracy Rob Denning and James Fennessy can be reached at workinghistorians@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/WorkHistorians.
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
Rob, Jeff, and Jonathan talk about the militarization of police forces in recent decades, the goals of community leaders who call for “defunding the police,” and the cancellation of the “COPS” television series after nearly 30 years on the air.
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
In this first episode of “Policing a Free Society,” a series dedicated to the intersection of history and criminal justice, Dr. Rob Denning, Dr. Jeff Czarnec, and soon-to-be-Dr. Jonathan Wesley bring their backgrounds in history, criminal justice, philosophy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion to bear on the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the public response to Floyd's death.
Thursday May 28, 2020
Thursday May 28, 2020
Scotty Edler is a student of history and political science and teaches for Southern New Hampshire University and community colleges in Texas. In this episode, Scotty talks about his pursuit of a Master of Science degree in Political Science, his historical research into Kaiser Wilhelm II and the second German Reich, the history of Mardi Gras, his experience with local and state politics, a potential project on political polling, and his college teaching career. This episode’s recommendations: Walter Langer and Peter Stearns, eds., The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged, 6th ed. (Houghton Mifflin, 2001): https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-World-History-Medieval-Chronologically/dp/0395652375/ref=pd_lpo_14_img_0/146-0857733-3651140?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0395652375&pd_rd_r=49796635-9e8d-4f9b-a0bf-9abff15cb957&pd_rd_w=Ng3bd&pd_rd_wg=DWByh&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=B3J6TGBX6RZAR1VNSX23&psc=1&refRID=B3J6TGBX6RZAR1VNSX23 Chicago Manual of Style: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html Yale University’s Avalon Project - Documents in Law, History, and Diplomacy: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/ Brigham Young University’s World War I Document Archive: https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/ The Bedford Series in History and Culture: https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/discipline/History/The-Bedford-Series-in-History-%26-Culture/c/013200
Monday May 18, 2020
Monday May 18, 2020
Darrett Pullins teaches history for Southern New Hampshire University and for the University of Phoenix. In this episode we discuss his background, the use of photography in history, a bit about World War II, and the closure of the University of Phoenix’s physical campus in Detroit. This episode’s recommendations: The works of William Manchester Ken Burns, dir., Country Music (PBS, 2019): https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/country-music/ American Association for State and Local History and the National Council on Public History, The Inclusive Historian’s Handbook, https://inclusivehistorian.com/ J. Michael Straczynski, Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood (HarperCollins, 2019), https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062857842/becoming-superman/