The forthcoming September 2009 issue of Historically Speaking features a forum on the current state of intellectual history. Articles in the forum touch on U.S. topics, and the authors cite some of the work done via the USIH weblog and conference (well, last year’s anyway). Here is the relevant portion of the issue’s table of contents:
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A Forum on the Current State of Intellectual History
Is Intellectual History a Neglected Field of Study?
Daniel Wickberg
Thinking is as American as Apple Pie
David A. Hollinger
Reply to Daniel Wickberg
Sarah E. Igo
Response to Daniel Wickberg
Wilfred M. McClay
Rejoinder to Hollinger, Igo, and McClay
Daniel Wickberg
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I previewed Daniel Wickberg’s lead piece and one reply, from Professor McClay, about a month ago. I haven’t seen the final version of any of the articles, but was impressed with Wickberg’s assertion of a paradoxical trade-off between a decreased field identity (and job openings, subsequently) and the ubiquitous nature of intellectual history’s methods, approaches, and theoretical concerns (via prize-winning and attention-grabbing books like Louis Menand’s Metaphysical Club, Michael O’Brien’s Conjectures of Order, Sarah Igo’s Averaged American, and Howard Brick’s Transcending Capitalism).
I look forward to reading the forum as a whole. Perhaps we should have a forum on the forum, maybe in October or November? – TL
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Thanks for the update on this, Tim! As I think I said back when you mentioned this the first time, this looks really excellent. A USIH forum on the forum would be a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, it looks to me as if the Historically Speaking forum won’t be put online, and my institution does not subscribe to the journal, even electronically.
Do you have any suggestions for a workaround to this situation? I’d love to read the Historically Speaking forum myself (I’m sure I could score .pdf’s from someone) but I’m more concerned about having a blog forum about content that many potential participants/readers could not get access to.