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Why History Matters: Life and Thought
"All human beings are practicing historians," writes Gerda Lerner. "We live our lives; we tell our stories. It is as natural as breathing." It is as important as breathing, too. History shapes our self-definition and our relationship to community; it locates us in time and place and helps to give meaning to our lives. History can be the vital thread that holds a nation together, as demonstrated most strikingly in the case of Jewish history. Conversely, for women, who have lived in a world in which they apparently had no history, its absence can be devastating. In Why History Matters , Lerner brings together her thinking and research of the last sixteen years, combining personal reminiscences with innovative theory that illuminate the importance of history and the vital role women have played in it.
Why History Matters contains some of the most significant thinking and writing on history that Lerner has done in her entire career--a summation of her life and work. The chapters are divided into three sections, each widely different from the others, each revelatory of Lerner as a woman and a feminist. We read first of Lerner's coming to consciousness as a Jewish woman. There are moving accounts of her early life as a refugee in America, her return to Austria fifty years after fleeing the Nazis (to discover a nation remarkable both for the absence of Jews and for the anti-Semitism just below the surface), her slow assimilation into American life, and her decision to be a historian. If the first section is personal, the second focuses on more professional concerns. Included here is a fascinating essay on nonviolent resistance, tracing the idea from the Quakers (such as Mary Dyer), to abolitionists such as Theodore Dwight Weld (the "most mobbed man" in America), to Thoreau's essay
Civil Disobedience , then across the sea to Tolstoy and Gandhi, before finally returning to America during the civil rights movement of the 1950s. There are insightful essays on "American Values" and on the tremendous advances women have made in the twentieth century, as well as Lerner's presidential address to the Organization of American Historians, which outlines the contributions of women to the field of history and the growing importance of women as a subject of history. The highlight of the final section of the book is Lerner's bold and innovative look at the issues of class and race as they relate to women, an essay that distills her thinking on these difficult subjects and offers a coherent conceptual framework that will prove of lasting interest to historians and intellectuals.
A major figure in women's studies and long-term activist for women's issues, a founding member of NOW and a past president of the Organization of American Historians, Gerda Lerner is a pioneer in the field of Women's History and one of its leading practitioners. Why History Matters is the summation of the work and thinking of this distinguished historian.
Why History Matters contains some of the most significant thinking and writing on history that Lerner has done in her entire career--a summation of her life and work. The chapters are divided into three sections, each widely different from the others, each revelatory of Lerner as a woman and a feminist. We read first of Lerner's coming to consciousness as a Jewish woman. There are moving accounts of her early life as a refugee in America, her return to Austria fifty years after fleeing the Nazis (to discover a nation remarkable both for the absence of Jews and for the anti-Semitism just below the surface), her slow assimilation into American life, and her decision to be a historian. If the first section is personal, the second focuses on more professional concerns. Included here is a fascinating essay on nonviolent resistance, tracing the idea from the Quakers (such as Mary Dyer), to abolitionists such as Theodore Dwight Weld (the "most mobbed man" in America), to Thoreau's essay
Civil Disobedience , then across the sea to Tolstoy and Gandhi, before finally returning to America during the civil rights movement of the 1950s. There are insightful essays on "American Values" and on the tremendous advances women have made in the twentieth century, as well as Lerner's presidential address to the Organization of American Historians, which outlines the contributions of women to the field of history and the growing importance of women as a subject of history. The highlight of the final section of the book is Lerner's bold and innovative look at the issues of class and race as they relate to women, an essay that distills her thinking on these difficult subjects and offers a coherent conceptual framework that will prove of lasting interest to historians and intellectuals.
A major figure in women's studies and long-term activist for women's issues, a founding member of NOW and a past president of the Organization of American Historians, Gerda Lerner is a pioneer in the field of Women's History and one of its leading practitioners. Why History Matters is the summation of the work and thinking of this distinguished historian.
249 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 1997
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464 people want to read
About the author
Gerda Lerner
34 books270 followersGerda Lerner was a historian, author and teacher. She was a professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a visiting scholar at Duke University.
Lerner was one of the founders of the field of women's history, and was a former president of the Organization of American Historians. She played a key role in the development of women's history curricula. She taught what is considered to be the first women's history course in the world at the New School for Social Research in 1963. She was also involved in the development of similar programs at Long Island University (1965–1967), at Sarah Lawrence College from 1968 to 1979 (where she established the nation's first Women's History graduate program), at Columbia University (where she was a co-founder of the Seminar on Women), and from 1980 until her retirement as Robinson Edwards Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
(from Wikipedia)
Lerner was one of the founders of the field of women's history, and was a former president of the Organization of American Historians. She played a key role in the development of women's history curricula. She taught what is considered to be the first women's history course in the world at the New School for Social Research in 1963. She was also involved in the development of similar programs at Long Island University (1965–1967), at Sarah Lawrence College from 1968 to 1979 (where she established the nation's first Women's History graduate program), at Columbia University (where she was a co-founder of the Seminar on Women), and from 1980 until her retirement as Robinson Edwards Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 30, 2007
Lerner makes this book quite interesting by linking stories of her own life with important issues to historians that the non-historians may find incredibly fascinating, thus making the book very readable and interesting. She explains her reasons for exploring her interest in history and deconstructs race, gender, and ethnicity and their relation to economic status as rooted in social construction. She tells some interesting lesser-known tales of history left out of the accepted historical record offer support to her ideas of gender, race, and ethnicity. It is a semi-autobiographical work and expresses the good and the bad of what she has been faced with in her career. You come away admiring Lerner and learning "why history matters" to Lerner personally and why it should matter to us all. It is a great read for those who want to read historical documents, comprehensive histories, and popular histories in a more critical fashion. But it is also an interesting book based upon the its autobiographical nature. I wish more people would read this book - apparently I am the first to review it!
October 3, 2010
In my first week of classes, we learned about some of the first euro theories of psychoanalysis. Freud. n'at. Then they mentioned that we should keep in mind these people's context, because it influenced how they formulated their theories. And after a few more sentences, that was it.
....
I understand that I am not around historians anymore... but my brain is still in that mode. You gotta take the next step after you clarify the context. Does knowing their context make us use their theory differently? We must talk about this!
Gerda Lerner would want to know! :) So I don't think its an accident that I happened to glance down at a bookshelf as I was distressed and walking through the library, to see this book. It felt like running into an old friend, who lives in your city, and who you've forgotten lives in your city. And then they remind you of something that used to be important to you, and you realize it still is.
....
I understand that I am not around historians anymore... but my brain is still in that mode. You gotta take the next step after you clarify the context. Does knowing their context make us use their theory differently? We must talk about this!
Gerda Lerner would want to know! :) So I don't think its an accident that I happened to glance down at a bookshelf as I was distressed and walking through the library, to see this book. It felt like running into an old friend, who lives in your city, and who you've forgotten lives in your city. And then they remind you of something that used to be important to you, and you realize it still is.
April 10, 2021
An excellent overview of feminism and the patriarchy. It was an illuminating to see the overlap between gender, race, and class and how they are subtly intertwined to form a system of control against the "other" while allowing the elite to maintain their control.
It was fascinating to see that as a society becomes more advance, the restrictions on women become increasingly severe as gender politics and the commoditization of women cause them to lose their independence and ability to maintain their own property.
The importance of history was also illuminated because it highlighted the importance of creating myths that societies and groups can believe in. The systematic cloaking of the achievements of women throughout history, a group of people that make up 50% of the world, destroys their sense of self-worth, hides their innate talents, and perpetuates the myth that only men are responsible for accomplishing important tasks. Similar oversights with both the Native Americans and African Americans served to repress their people and destroy their culture.
It was fascinating to see that as a society becomes more advance, the restrictions on women become increasingly severe as gender politics and the commoditization of women cause them to lose their independence and ability to maintain their own property.
The importance of history was also illuminated because it highlighted the importance of creating myths that societies and groups can believe in. The systematic cloaking of the achievements of women throughout history, a group of people that make up 50% of the world, destroys their sense of self-worth, hides their innate talents, and perpetuates the myth that only men are responsible for accomplishing important tasks. Similar oversights with both the Native Americans and African Americans served to repress their people and destroy their culture.
May 30, 2007
Definitely a must read for everyone today as it coolly, with a historical perspective, delineates the surgence of oppression and the hierarchical construction of society. Of course, the 'latest' innovations in gender and race theory are adequately applied, but they are no longer the latest (at least for gender). In any case, the third part of the book is sometimes repetitive (I guess it deserves repeating) but mostly a good sum-up of (what must be) the new liberal ideology.
April 15, 2008
I thought this book was very interesting and thought-provoking. I would definitely be willing to read more by her.
March 1, 2010
Oh, such excellent essay writing.
July 17, 2023
I read essays 5, 10, 11, and 12, and just skimmed the rest. I'm still counting it.
I appreciate her analysis in essays 10 - 12 of what is today known as "intersectionality", as well as her definition of gender. I'm working on reading her giant two volume work on the history of patriarchy. This was a good summary of her thoughts about modern culture and the debates of the 1990s (which continue today), after going through the historical research.
I also enjoyed Chapter 5 on the roots of nonviolent resistance in women's movements. The discussion of abolitionists against the mob was interesting. The abolitionists gained support once the mob kept them from speaking. Motivated to protect free speech, people listened to the abolitionists. I see parallels with the current conflict between women's rights advocates and radical transgender activism.
I appreciate her analysis in essays 10 - 12 of what is today known as "intersectionality", as well as her definition of gender. I'm working on reading her giant two volume work on the history of patriarchy. This was a good summary of her thoughts about modern culture and the debates of the 1990s (which continue today), after going through the historical research.
I also enjoyed Chapter 5 on the roots of nonviolent resistance in women's movements. The discussion of abolitionists against the mob was interesting. The abolitionists gained support once the mob kept them from speaking. Motivated to protect free speech, people listened to the abolitionists. I see parallels with the current conflict between women's rights advocates and radical transgender activism.
April 8, 2024
The first third of Lerner's book details her experiences as a Jewish Austrian refugee to America in the 1940s, and offers a compelling immigrant story. Following that she shifts into more impersonal essays, about womens' experience of history and the ways in which class and race influence historical narrative. Much of this felt like familiar rhetorical territory to me, although someone new to women's studies would probably find it a worthwhile text.
October 15, 2020
A fascinating look into the importance of history in day to day life and how it matters to those who do not have any interest in it whatsoever
February 1, 2025
Skimmed through this collection of essays but somewhat dated. Wish I’d read them 40 years ago.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews