"Social Scientists Should Not Be Pundits, But It Is Our Turn In The Sun"


Social Scientists Should Not Be Pundits,
But It Is Our Turn In The Sun!



On the topic of the Trump presidency, Moshik Temkin recently wrote "Historians Shouldn't Be Pundits." The essay, published on June 26th in the Opinion/Editorial section of the New York Times, raises critical points for all social science educators who feel that this critical moment in time can be an important teaching tool.

As the Harvard professor of History and Public Policy points out, "Donald Trump might be disastrous for most Americans and a danger to the world, but he has been a boon to historians." Almost daily historians, as well as other social scientists, are drawn to some statement, tweet or action that cannot be ignored.

The events of the past year have encouraged more academics to spend time with each other, discussing issues and debating the presidency than in years past. And political affiliations are not so important in these conversations as academics have never witnessed a president doing what President Trump has done. It is so addictive that many are anxiously awaiting the next critical action.

For most academics, this is an golden moment inside and outside of the classroom.  Personally, it has made me more aware of my mission as an educator and as a citizen. It has encouraged me to write particular political and historical blog entries, and discuss issues with students both in class and during office hours. I am more interested than ever in my students' opinions and their understanding of historical facts and events. It has made teaching more relevant, and sometimes more popular. Currently, I like challenging my students to consider using wider angles in their analysis because they can see historical connections in ways that they previously failed to consider. When asked to predict the election of 2016 and later to explain the outcome, I had to think outside the box. Historians are bad predictors of the future, but we have tons of tools to analyze the past. So, everyone benefited, and will continue to benefit, as I've been forced to think about and answer questions that I typically ignored.

And, I am not alone in my thinking. President Trump has touched virtually every discipline in his actions. Topics like ethics, morality, the differences between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, Russia and the Soviet Union, China, the Korean War, religious tolerance, educational reform, privatization, affirmative action, social justice, gender difference, immigration, climate control, global warming, health insurance, hacking, taxes, historical figures, and political ideologies have been constant talking points throughout Mr. Trump's tenure.

However, for historians it is a great time to focus on what the press does in trying to explain Trump's actions.  As Professor Temkin points, out the media loves to make comparisons to ideas, concepts and people. Most historians are not trained to think that way. We do not see President Trump as a populist or as a fascist. Nor, is he a dictator, and President Trump is not comparable to figures like Julius Caesar, Huey Long, Ronald Reagan, Hitler or Mussolini.  Terms and contrasts need reliable evidence. So, we push students to find the facts before making statements.  This is the right time for us to enlighten students about these concepts, events and figures so that they can learn of the dangers of comparative history and labeling people.

And, in terms of our own levels of professionalism, I bet there are those within the historical community who wish that Fox, CNN, CBS, ABC or MSNBC would contact them to speak.  In this new media world where you can obtain two minutes of fame, almost everyone has something to say! And, almost any historian would love to have this moment as they are often neglected in the world of educated spokespersons and talking heads.

But right now, thanks to President Trump, we are all important and it is our turn in the sun to be recognized.  And I'm sure that many will milk it for all it is worth. So, in closing I hope my social science colleagues can add some insight for our students, fellow colleagues, and the larger world through their analysis of current events. And for my historian colleagues, hopefully we will all follow Professor Temkin's advice.  He wrote: "Ultimately, the most important thing historians can do is to leave the analogies to the pundits, and instead provide a critical, uncomfortable account of how we arrived at our seemingly incomprehensible current moment."

Please do read Professor Temkin's essay!

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/opinion/trump-nixon-history.html?src=me



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