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History's Babel: Scholarship, Professionalization, and the Historical Enterprise in the United States, 1880 - 1940
From the late nineteenth century until World War II, competing spheres of professional identity and practice redrew the field of history, establishing fundamental differences between the roles of university historians, archivists, staff at historical societies, history teachers, and others.
In History’s Babel, Robert B. Townsend takes us from the beginning of this professional shift—when the work of history included not just original research, but also teaching and the gathering of historical materials—to a state of microprofessionalization that continues to define the field today. Drawing on extensive research among the records of the American Historical Association and a multitude of other sources, Townsend traces the slow fragmentation of the field from 1880 to the divisions of the 1940s manifest today in the diverse professions of academia, teaching, and public history. By revealing how the founders of the contemporary historical enterprise envisioned the future of the discipline, he offers insight into our own historical moment and the way the discipline has adapted and changed over time. Townsend’s work will be of interest not only to historians but to all who care about how the professions of history emerged, how they might go forward, and the public role they still can play.
In History’s Babel, Robert B. Townsend takes us from the beginning of this professional shift—when the work of history included not just original research, but also teaching and the gathering of historical materials—to a state of microprofessionalization that continues to define the field today. Drawing on extensive research among the records of the American Historical Association and a multitude of other sources, Townsend traces the slow fragmentation of the field from 1880 to the divisions of the 1940s manifest today in the diverse professions of academia, teaching, and public history. By revealing how the founders of the contemporary historical enterprise envisioned the future of the discipline, he offers insight into our own historical moment and the way the discipline has adapted and changed over time. Townsend’s work will be of interest not only to historians but to all who care about how the professions of history emerged, how they might go forward, and the public role they still can play.
272 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 22, 2018
What if American academic history professors, history school teachers, archivists, museum staff and other "history workers" united as one group, constituting an "historical enterprise?" It seems amazing today, but something like that actually once happened.
In 1884, the American Historical Association formed, welcoming members from the entire "historical enterprise" (to use author Townsend's term) into its ranks. The AHA aimed to promote historical work in whatever form it happened to take. As time marched into the twentieth century and beyond, however, academic historians became increasingly more prominent in the organization, and archivists, historical societies and history teachers began going their separate ways. By 1940, each of these groups had its own separate professional organization, and dreams of a united "historical enterprise" seemed over.
In his introduction, author Townsend notes that most examinations of history as a profession "generally accept that the work of research scholars represents the center of the discipline." Townsend then states that HISTORY'S BABEL is his attempt to "bridge the divide" by showing us "a broader set of set of professional practices that extend well beyond academia." It's interesting, then, that he chose to write in a typical dry, academic style. Why broaden your focus and then potentially limit your audience? That seems odd to me.
This gripe aside, I feel that Townsend did largely succeed in what he set out to do. To present the different views equally, Townsend divides his 1880-1940 time period into three subperiods, with each subperiod receiving a chapter on academic historians, a chapter on archivists and historical society staff, and then a chapter on history school teachers. I do feel that this approach gives the reader a broader perspective on the subject and places the histories of the individual narrower professions into greater context.
Here, I will note that I myself am a professional archivist and thus held a special interest in this book. I'm glad that I read it and feel that I did gain a greater understanding of the "history of the history profession." I found it interesting to see how things changed over time, but as always with a good history, I also found myself amused by how "the more things change, the more they stay the same." As an example, I enjoyed reading how archivists in earlier times complained about academics not understanding an archive's clientele (which typically includes groups such as genealogists, of which academics are often unfamiliar) and how academics themselves largely deem state and local history of lesser importance than national and world history. While I have no experience as a teacher, I suspect that teachers, too, will nod knowingly at complaints of academics telling them to make history more interesting and not force students to just memorize dates and "dry facts" - and then call for testing that requires students to know certain facts before entering college!
It's also interesting to note those moments when history seems to come full circle - or at least partway around the circle. Thus, in his conclusion, Townsend notes how the relative scarcity of jobs in modern academic history departments has caused some of those departments to offer courses in "public history." Public history has thus now become a term for, basically, all history jobs outside of academia. By treating these professions so broadly - with training in academic history departments - we are, perhaps, seeing some greater efforts to again consider the "historical enterprise" as a whole. Does this mean that we history professionals will all be one big happy family again? I wouldn't count on it, personally, and I don't know that Townsend would, either, but he nonetheless presents some interesting points worth pondering.
This isn't a book that will appeal to everybody, especially given the dense academic style of its prose. If, like me, however, your job concerns history in one form or another, then I think you will find it worthwhile. To quote the United States National Archives motto, "the past is prologue," and perhaps historians can value from looking at their OWN past as well as of that of others.
In 1884, the American Historical Association formed, welcoming members from the entire "historical enterprise" (to use author Townsend's term) into its ranks. The AHA aimed to promote historical work in whatever form it happened to take. As time marched into the twentieth century and beyond, however, academic historians became increasingly more prominent in the organization, and archivists, historical societies and history teachers began going their separate ways. By 1940, each of these groups had its own separate professional organization, and dreams of a united "historical enterprise" seemed over.
In his introduction, author Townsend notes that most examinations of history as a profession "generally accept that the work of research scholars represents the center of the discipline." Townsend then states that HISTORY'S BABEL is his attempt to "bridge the divide" by showing us "a broader set of set of professional practices that extend well beyond academia." It's interesting, then, that he chose to write in a typical dry, academic style. Why broaden your focus and then potentially limit your audience? That seems odd to me.
This gripe aside, I feel that Townsend did largely succeed in what he set out to do. To present the different views equally, Townsend divides his 1880-1940 time period into three subperiods, with each subperiod receiving a chapter on academic historians, a chapter on archivists and historical society staff, and then a chapter on history school teachers. I do feel that this approach gives the reader a broader perspective on the subject and places the histories of the individual narrower professions into greater context.
Here, I will note that I myself am a professional archivist and thus held a special interest in this book. I'm glad that I read it and feel that I did gain a greater understanding of the "history of the history profession." I found it interesting to see how things changed over time, but as always with a good history, I also found myself amused by how "the more things change, the more they stay the same." As an example, I enjoyed reading how archivists in earlier times complained about academics not understanding an archive's clientele (which typically includes groups such as genealogists, of which academics are often unfamiliar) and how academics themselves largely deem state and local history of lesser importance than national and world history. While I have no experience as a teacher, I suspect that teachers, too, will nod knowingly at complaints of academics telling them to make history more interesting and not force students to just memorize dates and "dry facts" - and then call for testing that requires students to know certain facts before entering college!
It's also interesting to note those moments when history seems to come full circle - or at least partway around the circle. Thus, in his conclusion, Townsend notes how the relative scarcity of jobs in modern academic history departments has caused some of those departments to offer courses in "public history." Public history has thus now become a term for, basically, all history jobs outside of academia. By treating these professions so broadly - with training in academic history departments - we are, perhaps, seeing some greater efforts to again consider the "historical enterprise" as a whole. Does this mean that we history professionals will all be one big happy family again? I wouldn't count on it, personally, and I don't know that Townsend would, either, but he nonetheless presents some interesting points worth pondering.
This isn't a book that will appeal to everybody, especially given the dense academic style of its prose. If, like me, however, your job concerns history in one form or another, then I think you will find it worthwhile. To quote the United States National Archives motto, "the past is prologue," and perhaps historians can value from looking at their OWN past as well as of that of others.
February 10, 2025
If you want to understand how America wound up up with such diversity of microdisciplines in the history enterprise (why archivists are different from preservationists, academics, oral historians, and the like), this is the book for you. The book is based on Townsend’s Ph.D. dissertation. I totally ate this up when it came out. Wonderful!
January 26, 2014
Great compliment to Historians in Public by Ian Tyrrell. I had to read for a new media history class, and recommend reading the two together! While I would have liked to have seen more on the impact the Great Depression and WWII had on the historical fields in this book, it was still a good and informative read.
September 10, 2015
The history of history, at least from 1880s to 1940s. Neat to see how the discipline and profession developed. Odd lack of discussion of race and gender, and I think the more interesting developments have been happening since the 1980s: the privitization of education and the technological developments more recently. THAT book would be far more interesting.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews