On the Spot: Lucy Noakes
‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That the history of war is the same as military history.’
Interview
On the Spot: Gina Anne Tam
‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That China has “5,000 years” of continuous history.’
On the Spot: William Dalrymple
‘What historical topic have I changed my mind on? The British in India, who I once looked upon as a benign force.’
On the Spot: Alice Hunt
‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That the republic was an absolute failure and the Restoration inevitable.’
On the Spot: Lori D. Ginzberg
‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That scholars who study elite white men are more objective.’
On the Spot: Joseph Hone
‘The most important lesson history has taught me? Destroy your drafts and personal papers, because one day a graduate student will comb through them looking for incriminating titbits.’
On the Spot: Kristin Semmens
‘One historical mystery I’d like to solve? Was there a written Führer Order for the “Final Solution”? Unlikely, but I’d like to know.’
On the Spot: Eugene Rogan
‘The most common misconception about my field? That the Arabs are unusually prone to conspiracy theories to explain political developments.’
On the Spot: Ali Ansari
‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That it’s a sideshow of a sideshow.’
On the Spot: Courtney J. Campbell
‘What historical topic have I changed my mind on? I used to give the powerful a lot of agency and the oppressed little.’