Person

James H. Sweet

Bylines

Is History History? Identity Politics and Teleologies of the Present

When historians concede to discuss the past with the terms of the present, they abandon the skill set that makes them historians.

by James H. Sweet via Perspectives on History on August 17, 2022
Finding Our Roots? History and DNA

DNA tests have become popular tools to rediscover lost ties to the past, but the links they forge do not always stand up to historical scrutiny.

by James H. Sweet via Perspectives on History on March 22, 2022
From Inclusive Public Schools to Divisive Concepts

Some personal reflections from American Historical Association president James H. Sweet on the recent wave of "divisive concepts" laws.

by James H. Sweet via Perspectives on History on December 15, 2021

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What AHA President James Sweet Got Wrong—And Right

Attacking presentism as a mindset of younger scholars doesn’t solve any of the historical profession's problems.

by Jonathan W. Wilson via Clio and the Contemporary on November 30, 2022

White pillars broken in pieces, forming an X.

The Right Side of History

How should historians respond to the urgency of this current political moment?

by Emma Green via The New Yorker on March 7, 2023

The New History Wars

Inside the strife set off by an essay from the president of the American Historical Association.

by David Frum via The Atlantic on October 30, 2022

Responses to “Is History History?”

Responding to a controversial recent critique of "presentism," two historians make the case that history and politics have always been deeply interwoven.

by Priya Satia, Malcolm Brian Foley via Perspectives on History on September 7, 2022

“The Course of Empire: The Consummation of Empire,” by Thomas Cole (1835-36), depicting Greek classical style buildings and opulence.

History Is Always About Politics

What the recent debates over presentism get wrong.

by Joan Wallach Scott via The Chronicle of Higher Education on August 24, 2022

Two Cheers for Presentism

An essay by the president of the American Historical Association generated a firestorm of criticism — but got some things right.

by David A. Bell via The Chronicle of Higher Education on August 23, 2022

Andrea Casali: The Personification of History Writing on the Back of Time, early 1760s

Ego-Histories

The more that historians make their own experiences an explicit part of their work, the harder it will become to let the sources speak clearly.

by David A. Bell via New York Review of Books on June 1, 2023

Manifest Destiny painting by Emanuel Leutze

No, Liberal Historians Can’t Tame Nationalism

Historians should reject nationalism and help readers to avoid its dangers.

by Eran Zelnik via The Activist History Review on November 8, 2022

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