On April 25, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order authorizing the possible reclassification of national monuments, a threat to the preservation of the country’s natural, archaeological, and historical heritage. This is just one example of current initiatives that put the future of the past at risk. For as long as history as an academic field has existed, its practitioners have relied on, dialogued with, or resisted the political contexts in which they operated. The current climate, however, has prompted a new urgency to writing, teaching, and researching the past. The inputs of our panelists will offer analytical reflections on what concerns us at present, followed by a general discussion.

Panelists and topics:
Kathryn Babayan (History, Near Eastern Studies; University of Michigan): Generation 9/11: The Future of Islamic history in America
Matthew Countryman (American Culture, History; University of Michigan): Citizen Historians: Historical Activism and Scholarly Responsibility
Geoff Eley (History, University of Michigan): Anxiety about Borders: Race, History, and the Foreigner
Alexandra Minna Stern (American Culture, History, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Studies; University of Michigan): Reading the Alt-Right: Timescapes and Tropes of White Nationalism
Helmut Puff (History, Germanic Languages and Literatures; University of Michigan): panel chair

Free and open to the public. Lunch provided.

This event is part of the Friday Series of the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies. It is made possible by a generous contribution from Kenneth and Frances Aftel Eisenberg.