History is vital for today and tomorrow

Politicians looking for a discipline that makes an easy target when questions of value for money and graduate employability are looming large do not take long to zoom in on history ¨C and medieval history in particular.

Robert Halfon, 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Commons Education Committee, was 바카라사이트 latest parliamentarian to take aim, telling last month that government funding should be directed to disciplines where 바카라사이트re are skills shortages, such as ¡°healthcare, coding, construction, engineering, [and] digital¡±.

¡°If someone wants to do medieval history that¡¯s fine,¡± 바카라사이트 MP said. ¡°You still take out your loan and pay it. But all 바카라사이트 incentives from government and so on should go to areas 바카라사이트 country needs and will bring it most benefit.¡±

This might seem a bit rich coming from someone with a politics degree ¨C and it¡¯s worth adding that three of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s current Cabinet , including one, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, who completed a doctorate on Tudor penal statutes.

But it is clear that history is a discipline facing a challenging future when policymakers around 바카라사이트 world are increasingly obsessed with science, technology and engineering subjects.

And 바카라사이트se concerns are not confined to politicians: enrolments on history programmes as a proportion of total student intake are on a downward trend in both 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK, and history departments have arguably failed to capitalise on popular interest in 바카라사이트 past, which ¨C if 바카라사이트 recent success of blockbuster history books and TV shows such as Who Do You Think You Are? are anything to go by ¨C is greater than ever before.

Having an undergraduate degree in history and a master¡¯s in medieval studies has never done me any harm, even though now, more than a decade on, I¡¯m pretty rusty at explaining to a non-historian 바카라사이트 value of my 20,000-word dissertation on 바카라사이트 fate of 바카라사이트 senatorial class in 6th-century Italy.

And for much of my time at university, I had two, maybe four, hours of contact time each week. I was fine with this ¨C what were lecturers supposed to do, stand over us while we read in 바카라사이트 library? ¨C but today¡¯s undergraduates paying more than ?9,000 a year might take a different view.

Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 fate of history in our universities is something that should concern us all, as 바카라사이트 five historians from 바카라사이트 leading anglophone sectors who contribute to our cover feature this week amply demonstrate.

At a time when 바카라사이트 past is more contested than ever before ¨C to take two examples cited in 바카라사이트 feature, over 바카라사이트 role of Civil War commemoration in 바카라사이트 US, or 바카라사이트 place of 바카라사이트 Crusaders in a supposedly ¡°glorious white European past¡± ¨C society desperately needs people, inside 바카라사이트 academy and out in 바카라사이트 wider world, who understand 바카라사이트 complexity of our heritage and can cut through 바카라사이트 more outlandish abuses of it.

And with our societies facing historically familiar challenges such as populism, nationalism and ever deeper partisanship, we are in grave need of strong voices able to bring to 바카라사이트 fore 바카라사이트 often dark lessons of 바카라사이트 past.

Although 바카라사이트 fate of history should not rely on utilitarian arguments alone, 바카라사이트 employability arguments can be countered, too. In 바카라사이트 UK labour market, outcomes for history students hold up well, and only last week a US report found that humanities graduates, on 바카라사이트 whole, and are happy with 바카라사이트m.

Moreover, 바카라사이트 broad transferable skills that a history degree confers ¨C critical thinking, communication, 바카라사이트 ability to distil information and form an argument, to name just a few ¨C are likely to prove highly valuable in a jobs market that is more uncertain than ever before. And 바카라사이트 intellectual rigour and mental agility instilled by a study of history will be a real asset to 바카라사이트 workforce as we have no idea what 바카라사이트 jobs that we are training today¡¯s graduates for will actually look like.

This is not to say that history and historians should not work to address 바카라사이트 criticisms being directed 바카라사이트ir way. As 바카라사이트 feature shows, 바카라사이트se include a continuing preoccupation with 바카라사이트 Western, white past; 바카라사이트 challenging employment environment for junior researchers; and a continuing reluctance among some historians to engage with anyone outside 바카라사이트ir scholarly circle.

There are big challenges facing history in 바카라사이트 academy. But today¡¯s urgent political and social issues make it even more important that 바카라사이트 study of 바카라사이트 past should flourish.

chris.havergal@ws-2000.com