To Understand

Me and Monticello

                I have been taking a class on the history of Islam; it is extremely interesting but equally alien to me.  My training in history has been almost exclusively that of western culture, especially American history.  I am also ethnically Irish-Swedish and an evangelical Christian; not even the culture that I grew into or associate regularly with prepared me for the language and concepts of the Islamic world.  On more than one occasion, during this class, I have tried to compare Islam with Christianity.  Whether it be comparing the difference between Caliphs and Imams to Cardinals and Bishops, or comparing the difference between Sunni and Shiite to be equivalent to the differences between Catholics and Protestants.  There are similarities certainly and comparing them may help me a little to wrap my brain around Islamic concepts; however, what I cannot forget as a history student is that these are two completely different worlds and deserve their own telling.  A Cardinal is not a Caliph and a Shiite is not a Protestant.  As a historian it is important to study and understand each culture on their own terms, to do less is to fail understanding both cultures and thus fail as a historian.

Here are some definitions that may help to understand the Islamic world a little better.

Caliph – An English derivation of the Arabic word Khalifa, which can mean either deputy or successor. Leading members of the Prophet’s companions chose the first few caliphs, who possessed moral, political, and military authority, but not prophetic authority. The caliphate rapidly became dynastic, causing the office to lose much legitimacy in the eyes of many, and then multiplicity of simultaneous caliphates arose, further diluting its authority. Moreover, Shiites have recognized only the fourth caliph, Ali as legitimate, claiming that Ali and his descendants, called Imams, are the only legitimate spiritual and political rulers. The Shiite sect of Islam does not have a Caliph instead they put more emphasis on the Imam.

Imam – An Arabic word that literally means “before” or “in front of.” The term came to be applied to the prayer leader at a mosque within the Sunni tradition of Islam.  Also the recognized leader of Shiite Islam; Shiite sects have defined the characteristics of their Imams in different ways over the centuries, but generally the Imam is understood not to have prophetic status. He does, however provide religious guidance that is indispensable, and he is the rightful head of the entire Muslim community. Some Shiite groups consider their Imam to be in seclusion, awaiting the time to return to lead the world; others have a visible Imam who lives among them.

Egger, Vernon O. A History of the Muslim World Since 1260: The Making of a Global Community. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.

The Possibilities Are Endless



Mortar and Me, personal photo

As a college student just about to graduate, with a bachelor degree in history, I feel both apprehensive and optimistic.  Apprehensive because I am really unsure where I am going to get a job; a job in the field of history, a job that I want and would enjoy.  Optimistic, because as the saying goes, “The possibilities are endless,” I am about to finish my application to graduate school, I have found a new interest in the world of blogging and have an idea for a series of documentaries (a career that does not necessarily care if you have a PhD).

I am sure we all have the same fears of not getting a job or being stuck in job that seems to suck the life out of one, instead of bringing joy to our ephemeral time on earth.  Therefore, I shall stick to the hopeful.  The possibility that I get into graduate school is good, I will be able to study how to present history to many different audiences.  I greatly wish to learn how to archive documents and to take care of artifacts.  I said my chances are good, but even if I do not get accepted I could still be hired part-time, or volunteer at a museum, or work in a library. I have a few leads into those possibilities.  I already have some experience with documentary making, making independent movies is quite a romantic notion but it is still a possibility.  Finally, my venture into the blogosphere, granted my early attempts are not good, and I will have to face the fact my current attempt is not a whole lot better, but I am getting better.  What makes the study of history so great is that even if all my hopes for a career in history turn up empty there is always another possibility to explore.

What History Really Is

Once during my college career I was hanging out at a friend’s house when his roommate came in. We introduced ourselves and, since he discovered we were students at the same college, he asked me what my major was.  I told him, “I am a history major.” He began to explain that he was amazed that so many people had so many different talents, “Look at you,” he said with a nod, “You are good with memorization, memorizing all those dates and names.”  The whole evening I kept thinking about what my friend’s roommate’s assumption that history automatically equated a good memory and that the study of history is nothing more but memorizing dates, names, places, and every minute fact one can store in their minds.  As I think back on this interaction I confess I regret not taking a more aggressive stance, my only excuse was that I was in a new environment and his loquacious assumptions about the meaning of history shocked me.  His assumption brought me to the conclusion that this is what the world at large thinks of history and historians.

I may have choked when it came to discussing historiography with that individual, but that encounter has given me a drive to make history more than just a bunch of facts to be memorized.  The reason I started with a story is because that is what history is, a story of the past from a point of view.  I want to help the public have a better understanding of the past, a better rounded and complete view of history.  To show that instead of just memorizing a name, history is about a person.  Instead of memorizing a date, history is about a time that person lived in. Instead of memorizing a place, history is about a home, community, and a job that that person participated in every day life.  I desire to bring good, accurate, unbiased history to people who may otherwise go through their own lives not realizing that many people just like them had the same feelings and problems that they did. To help people connect to and learn from the past so that they may have a more vibrant future.