President's Corner

Historically Speaking September 2002 PRESIDENTS CORNER George Huppert t I ? he recent conference we sponsored in Atlanta was successful in a number 1 ofways. Those who were there will remember the pleasant setting and some of the more striking presentations, including those ofDavid Landes and SeymourDrescher, which provoked longbouts ofdebate. Natalie Davis's paperwas another high point Eachofus, no doubt, came awaywithnew ideas, but what I found particularly memorablewas the congenial and stimulatingmood that reigned throughout those three days, when we had so many opportunities for getting to know each other between formal sessions. This mood is something worth maintaining at our next national conference . There is, elsewhere in this issue, a formal Call for Papers for the 2004 conference. This may seem far away, but proposals are actually due pretty soon, with a final deadline in December. You will note thatthe ground rules are different this time. Ourpastconferences have been focused, more or less successfully, on a single theme. Even so, most ofus have hardly been jolted out ofour routine, basicallydoingwhatwe have done at other meetings, thatis, presenting the results ofour own research in company with two or three others on the panels, whose interests are compatiblewith ourown. The resultwaspredictable : a handful ofmedievalists, forinstance, or specialists in Mesopotamian archaeology, attended their own sessions, while others plunged into equallyexclusive sessions. However interesting the presentations were, one could hardly argue that there was much ofa Why not venture into controversial or unexaminedquestions and ask whether historical research can he useful to governmentpolicy makers, especially at thisjuncture, when the West is the targetfor such concentrated rage? meeting ofminds across the thin walls separating mese sessions. Several ofmy colleagues commented on this fact. Meanwhile, atameetinginChicago, the three historians to whom I entrusted the direction ofthe 2004 conference had already expressed their desire to overcome the kind ofcompartmentalizationthatplaguesourprofession . What we hope to see happen when we nextmeet in Boothbay Harbor is a newkind ofconference at which we all learn from each other. We would like to see, for instance, specialists in U.S. colonial history meet withcolleagueswho studyothercolonial histories. Another way of shaking loose the rigid boundaries to which we are accustomed would be to devote a general discussion to the conceptoftheMiddle Ages, for instance, or to examine the nature ofWestern Civilization courses. Could we have economic historians, regardless oftheirregional or chronological territory, take a look atAfrica since independence ? Whynotventure into controversial orunexamined questions and askwhether historical research can be useful to government policy makers, especially at this juncture , whentheWestis the targetforsuchconcentrated rage? L· there anythingwrongwith selecting topics for research thatare directly related to current preoccupations? Lucien Febvre, the fiery editor ofAnnales, did not thinkso. He spoke ofa managed history, "une histoire dirigée," and went about commissioning a series ofarticles that tried to provide answers to the perplexities ofhis day— September 2002 » Historically Speaking own expertise with broader issues. We are not justcallingfor comparative history. We would like to take stock, to ask where our discipline is heading, bypromptinga number ofreports from the field. What is going on in your own field, as you see it? You will have noticed the emphasis on "conversation" and "discussions" in the wording ofthe Call for Papers. We mean that. We are movingawayfrom the established model of presentation (three 20-minute papers, a commentator , and very little time for meaningful discussion). Instead, we ask for your text in advance, and expectonlya briefinformal summary before a general discussion begins. A word about the setting of this conference . The inn is not a convention hotel, even though it provides excellent meeting rooms, accommodations, and meals. No need forsuits and ties. High heels would be positively life threatening on the lawns, decks, and rocks. The informal nature ofthis conference will allow participants a great deal oflatitude. We will entertain full-scale presentations in a 300seatauditorium , aswell as briefreports, which will also have their place in the published program . And there is nothing wrongwith coming to the conference without putting yourself formally on the program. Join the conversation. I hope to see you all there. GeorgeHuppertispresidentofThe Historical Societyandprofessorofhistoryat the University ofIllinoisat Chicago. Hismostrecentbook¿The Style ofParis: Renaissance Origins ofthe French Enlightenment (Indiana University Press, 1999). THE HISTORICAL O OCIETY 656 Beacon...