Ask a Historian

UW–Madison History Department

Every episode, we bring a question submitted by an audience member to a historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and ask them to share their response. What would you ask a historian? Send us your questions: outreach@history.wisc.edu

الحلقات

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    What did femininity look like in ancient Rome?

    How have ideas of femininity have changed over time? How did they work in ancient Rome? PhD candidate Sheena Finnigan helps break down nuances, misconceptions, and complications of the history of femininity in ancient Rome. We explore how factors such as status and geography affected what was expected of women. Though western traditional womanhood often dictated that women remain in the private sphere supposedly based on Roman ideals, such ideas actually ran counter to ancient Roman culture where women were often expected to lead multifaceted lives. To support the podcast by supporting the UW–Madison History Department, please visit https://secure.supportuw.org/give/?id=793c8dd0-b47f-4a33-beeb-4af450d60e8e Episode Links: Sheena Finnigan is a PhD candidate and instructor in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. https://history.wisc.edu/people/finnigan-sheena/ Our music is “Pamgaea” by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4193-pamgaea CC BY 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Please send us your questions for a historian: outreach@history.wisc.edu

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    Are nursing homes for seniors a relatively new concept?

    Are nursing homes for seniors a relatively new concept? How did nursing homes become a key institution for elder care in the United States? Professor Emeritus Tom Broman talks to Christina Matta (Ph.D. ’07) about the history of elder care in Europe and the United States. They discuss the origins of hospitals in medieval Europe, the 19th and 20th-century demographic and social changes that shifted responsibility for care of the poor and elderly to the public, and the federal policies that shaped the development of the the nursing home industry in the United States. Episode Links: Tom Broman is Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. https://history.wisc.edu/people/broman-thomas-h/ Tom is the co-director the Wisconsin 101, a collaborative public history project that explores Wisconsin’s diverse, interconnected history through objects. https://wi101.wisc.edu/ Christina Matta is the Career Advisor and Alumni Coordinator in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She received her Ph.D. in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology from UW–Madison in 2007. https://history.wisc.edu/people/matta-christina/ Atul Gawande, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End (London: Picador, 2014). https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250076229 Karen Humes, “The Population 65 Years and Older: Aging in America,” in The Book of the States v. 37 (Council of State Governments, 2005), pp. 464-468. https://www.csg.org/knowledgecenter/docs/BOS2005-AgingInAmerica.pdf Frank B. Hobbs with Bonnie L. Damon, 65+ in the United States (Bureau of the Census, 1996). https://www.census.gov/prod/1/pop/p23-190/p23-190.pdf Our music is “Pamgaea” by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4193-pamgaea CC BY 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Please send us your questions for a historian: outreach@history.wisc.edu

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    HISTORY LAB 3 How do historians determine what's true when working with primary sources?

    The full show transcript is available on our website: https://history.wisc.edu/ask-a-historian/ How do historians verify primary source documents? How do they account for bias and determine what’s true and what’s not?  Drawing on her experiences in the Soviet archives, Professor Francine Hirsch talks about how primary sources reveal both facts and perspectives, what fabricated evidence can tell us about the past, and why it’s important to incorporate primary sources from many actors when writing history. She also shares some key questions to ask about authorial intent, audience, and reception when evaluating a primary source. Episode Links: Francine Hirsch is Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she teaches courses on Russian and Soviet history, the history of human rights, and modern Europe. https://history.wisc.edu/people/hirsch-francine/ Prof. Hirsch’s new book, Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg: A New History of the International Military Tribunal after World War II, was published this year by Oxford University Press. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/soviet-judgment-at-nuremberg-9780199377930?cc=us&lang=en& Frederick C. Corney’s Telling October: Memory and the Making of the Bolshevik Revolution: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801442193/telling-october/ National History Day in Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS15524 UW–Madison’s History Lab: https://history.wisc.edu/undergraduate-program/the-history-lab/ Our theme music is “Wholesome” by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome CC BY 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Do you have a question about how to do history? Record a voice memo we’ll answer your question in an upcoming episode. Our email address is outreach@history.wisc.edu

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    HISTORY LAB 2 How much time has to pass before something is considered history?

    The full show transcript is available on our website: https://history.wisc.edu/ask-a-historian/ How long ago does something have to have happened in order for it to be considered history? In this History Lab episode, Professor Richard Keller explains why he considers the very recent past to be history. He also talks about the research opportunities and challenges he encountered when working on his book on the 2003 Paris heat wave and shares how our present moment can inspire students’ historical research projects. Episode Links: Richard C. Keller is Professor of the History of Medicine and Associate Dean of the International Division at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. https://history.wisc.edu/people/keller-richard-c/ The book that Prof. Keller discusses in this episode is Fatal Isolation: The Devastating Paris Heat Wave of 2003, which was published in 2015 by the University of Chicago Press. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo20145393.html National History Day in Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS15524 UW–Madison’s History Lab: https://history.wisc.edu/undergraduate-program/the-history-lab/ Do you have a question about how to do history? Record a voice memo we’ll answer your question in an upcoming episode. Our email address is outreach@history.wisc.edu Our music is “Wholesome” by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome CC BY 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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    HISTORY LAB 1 How do I know if a website is a reliable source?

    The full show transcript is available on our website: https://history.wisc.edu/ask-a-historian/ As middle and high school students across Wisconsin work on their National History Day submissions, we’re answering their questions about how to do history in our History Lab mini-series. This episode, Professor Sarah Thal talks about her criteria for a reliable website, whether Wikipedia is good source for historical research, and her favorite online history resources. Episode Links: Sarah Thal is Associate Chair, Director of Undergraduate Studies, and the David Kuenzi and Mary Wyman Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. https://history.wisc.edu/people/thal-sarah/ Libraries and archives New York Public Library Digital Collections https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/ British Library blogs http://www.bl.uk/blogs National Archives blogs https://www.archives.gov/social-media/blogs Smithsonian Institution https://www.si.edu/explore Wisconsin Historical Society https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/ Digital exhibitions and projects Slave Voyages https://www.slavevoyages.org/ Remembering Jim Crow http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/remembering/ Commentary or articles written by historians History News Network https://historynewsnetwork.org/ Process blog of the Organization of American Historians http://www.processhistory.org/ American Historical Association https://www.historians.org/ Videos TED-Ed https://ed.ted.com/ National History Day in Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS15524 UW–Madison’s History Lab: https://history.wisc.edu/undergraduate-program/the-history-lab/ Do you have a question about how to do history? Record a voice memo we’ll answer your question in an upcoming episode. Our email address is outreach@history.wisc.edu Our music is “Wholesome” by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome CC BY 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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    SPECIAL: Florence Robinson, Gerda Lerner, and Women's History at UW-Madison

    The full show transcript is available on our website: https://history.wisc.edu/ask-a-historian/ In this special episode of Ask a Historian, guest host Tyler A. Lehrer examines how Gerda Lerner—Holocaust survivor, feminist organizer, mother, and distinguished historian—came to establish the pathbreaking PhD Program in Women’s History at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. As Tyler explains, the history of women’s history at UW-Madison began not in the heyday of the women’s movement of the late 1970s but with the story of Dr. Florence Robinson. In the 1920s, Robinson’s family created the Robinson-Edwards Chair in American History, to be held by a woman historian at UW-Madison. Why did this professorship go unfilled until 1978, when Gerda Lerner arrived at Madison? Through her archived oral history interviews, Gerda Lerner leads the way as Tyler tells the fascinating story of how Lerner came to Madison, how she realized her ambition to create a women’s history doctoral program, and how her feminist commitments shaped her approach to mentorship, shared governance, and teaching. Episode links: This episode was produced and edited by guest host Tyler A. Lehrer, a PhD candidate in Southeast Asian History at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. https://history.wisc.edu/people/lehrer-tyler/ The oral histories in this episode come from the Oral History Program of the University of Wisconsin—Madison Archives. https://www.library.wisc.edu/archives/archives/oral-history-program/ Visit the Program in Gender and Women’s History online here. https://history.wisc.edu/fields-programs-and-working-groups/program-in-gender-and-womens-history/ Musical interludes in the episode are from the track “Dream Softly Baby,” by Lobo Loco. Link: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/Over_Midnight/Dream_Softly_Baby_ID_982. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license:  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Do you have an idea for an episode of the podcast? Send your questions for a historian to outreach@history.wisc.edu.

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    How did Egyptian feminism develop between the Egyptian Revolution and the Arab Spring?

    The full episode transcript is available on our website: https://history.wisc.edu/ask-a-historian/ During the Arab Spring, Egyptian women played particularly prominent roles as activists on Tahrir Square and in the political groups that mobilized to debate the future of the Egypt. How did Egyptian feminism develop in the decades leading up to the Arab Spring? Professor Aaron Rock-Singer takes us through the 20th- and 21st-century history of Egypt to trace the ways in which the British colonial project, the secular nationalist state, and Islamist revival movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis sought to shape the role of women in Egyptian society. Aaron highlights the contradictions and characteristics of the project of feminism in Egypt’s authoritarian political environment. He also reflects on the possibilities and challenges for activists under the current Sisi regime. Timestamps: 03:05 Women in the Egyptian Revolution and the Abdel Nasser period 11:06 The British colonial project to create a quiescent population 16:08 The Sadat and Mubarak periods 22:24 Salafism, authenticity debates, and gender segregation 31:52 Comparing developments in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East 36:17 Reflections on the aftermath of the Arab Spring and the Sisi regime Episode links: Aaron Rock-Singer is Assistant Professor of History and the University of Wisconsin—Madison. His first book, Practicing Islam in Egypt: Print Media and Islamic Revival, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2019: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/practicing-islam-in-egypt/05564917D380AE6C37E3AECD3D6C7316#fndtn-information  You can follow Aaron on Twitter @AaronRockSinger. Our music is Pamgaea by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4193-pamgaea CC BY 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Please send us your questions for a historian: outreach@history.wisc.edu

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    What does it mean to reckon with the history of racism at the University of Wisconsin—Madison?

    The full show transcript is available on our website: https://history.wisc.edu/ask-a-historian/ When millions of people across the United States took to the streets in protest following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, they ignited a racial reckoning across all sectors of American society. This episode, we talk about the process of racial reckoning on our campus: what does it mean to reckon with the history of racism at the University of Wisconsin—Madison? Kacie Lucchini Butcher, Director of the Public History Project, explains how the Public History Project fits in to the process of confronting racism and exclusion in the past and present at UW-Madison. One year into the Project, she shares the patterns and themes researchers have identified so far: the persistence of racism and discrimination at UW-Madison throughout its history; the dogged efforts of student activists to call out and resist exclusion; and the recurring justifications employed by university administration to defend its inaction. Kacie emphasizes that the process of reckoning involves first establishing shared knowledge of what happened in the past, and then taking action to create a more just and equitable future. At UW, she contends, this requires enacting policy measures and—more importantly—social and cultural change throughout the campus community. Timestamps: 05:53 The genesis and goals of the Public History Project 16:37 The process of reckoning with the history of racism at UW-Madison 19:33 Themes and patterns the Public History Project has identified so far in this history 39:40 Taking action through policy, social, and cultural change 48:11 How to get involved with the Public History Project Episode links: The Public History Project was created in response to a recommendation in the Report to the Chancellor on the Ku Klux Klan at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. The full report is available online: https://news.wisc.edu/content/uploads/2018/04/Study-Group-final-for-print-April-18.pdf Learn more about the Public History Project at its website: https://publichistoryproject.wisc.edu/ Kacie and her student researchers also share their findings on Instagram (@uwpublichistoryproject): https://www.instagram.com/uwpublichistoryproject/?hl=en If you have tips for the Public History Project or would like to get involved, you can get in touch with the researchers over email: publichistoryproject@wisc.edu Kacie previously curated the exhibit “Owning Up: Racism and Housing in Minneapolis” at the Hennepin History Museum. The digital exhibit is available online: https://dpike.dash.umn.edu/owningup/#section0 Our music is Pamgaea by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4193-pamgaea CC BY 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Please send us your questions for a historian: outreach@history.wisc.edu

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    Why have Asian Americans often been the target of xenophobic and racist attacks during disease outbreaks?

    The full show transcript is available on our website: https://history.wisc.edu/ask-a-historian/ The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by a spike in anti-Asian, especially anti-Chinese, racism. Why have Asian Americans often been the target of xenophobic and racist attacks during past disease outbreaks? Professor Cindy I-Fen Cheng puts the past and present in conversation as she explains how Americans have historically used immigrant scapegoating to misdirect attention from larger structural issues in society. She tells us about the history of Chinese immigration exclusion, traces the development of racist ideas about Asian Americans, and reflects on the Cold War continuities she sees in the conspiracy theory that the COVID-19 virus originated in a Wuhan virology lab. Finally, she shares her hope that this moment produces increased discussion on the policies that have created structural racism, as well as a new commitment to creating policies that ensure greater equity for all people. Cindy I-Fen Cheng is Professor of History and Director of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Her book is Citizens of Asian America: Democracy and Race During the Cold War. https://nyupress.org/9781479880737/ To read more about the scapegoating of Chinese immigrants during disease outbreaks in San Francisco, see Nayan Shah’s Contagious Divides: Epidemics and Race in San Francisco’s Chinatown. https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520226296/contagious-divides For a history of Chinese immigration exclusion, Cindy recommends Erika Lee’s At America’s Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943. https://uncpress.org/book/9780807854488/at-americas-gates/ Our music is Pamgaea by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4193-pamgaea CC BY 4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Please send us your questions for a historian and/or tell us why you  love history. Write us, or record a voice memo and share it with us via  email: outreach@history.wisc.edu.

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    What lessons can the history of Ebola in West Africa offer as we face the COVID-19 pandemic?

    The full show transcript is available on our website: https://history.wisc.edu/ask-a-historian/ As we face the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the past can shed some light on our moment of crisis. We speak with Professor Gregg Mitman about the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in Liberia. How did people’s faith in or mistrust of their government shape the trajectory of the epidemic? What lessons can the history of Ebola offer in the context of COVID-19? Gregg tells us about the long history of capitalism, politics, ecology, and medicine behind Liberia’s Ebola outbreak. He reflects on the unique geopolitical challenges of our current moment and the ways COVID-19 confronts racist Western assumptions about disease. Finally, he underscores the vital importance of building trust in order to successfully stem an epidemic. Episode links:  Gregg Mitman and Sarita Siegel co-directed and co-produced the 2015 documentary film In the Shadow of Ebola: http://intheshadowofebola.com/film  Gregg's article in the New England Journal of Medicine is “Ebola in a Stew of Fear": https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1411244?query=featured_home David Mwambari’s article “The pandemic can be a catalyst for decolonisation in Africa”: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/pandemic-catalyst-decolonisation-africa-200415150535786.html Robtel Neajai Pailey’s “Africa does not need saving during this pandemic": https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/africa-saving-pandemic-200408180254152.html Our music is Pamgaea by Kevin MacLeod. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4193-pamgaea CC BY 4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Please send us your questions for a historian and/or tell us why you love history. You can record a voice memo and share it with us via email: outreach@history.wisc.edu.

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Every episode, we bring a question submitted by an audience member to a historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and ask them to share their response. What would you ask a historian? Send us your questions: outreach@history.wisc.edu

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