Some historians are academics, but many others are museum professionals, library specialists, community archivists, historic house guides, activists, educators, and interested members of the public.
Recently, 168 such historians gathered at Baltimore's Museum of Industry to discuss interests, describe research in progress, and share resources and connections. Ten Johns Hopkins students plus one recent graduate were among them.
"It was a different take on history than what we usually get," said John Ellis, a senior history major in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.
The gathering itself, titled Bmore Historic, was also different from a typical conference; to emphasize that point, it's called an "unconference." Unconferences, explained Bmore Historic's organizers, are run by participants, who propose sessions and then vote on which ones will be presented. Sessions are designed as conversations, with the presenter describing an idea or experience and then facilitating a discussion in which all participants share knowledge and resources. A round of two-minute "lightning talks" was also held during lunch.
Victoria Harms, associate teaching professor in the Department of History, encouraged history majors and minors and other interested students to attend, as the event offered a low-pressure taste of research presentation, a chance to make connections with other historians, and an unusually in-depth way to engage with Baltimore, she said. Student participation was promoted by members of Hopkins' Undergraduate History Association (UHA), and funded by an anonymous alumnus donation in honor of the late professor emeritus Robert Forster.
"The unconference connects our students with like-minded, historically minded folks in Baltimore," Harms said. "It also offers a more inclusive vision of academia—with a social justice bent—and historical knowledge production."
Image caption: Allison Seyler, far right, during a Bmore Historic conversation
Image credit: Courtesy of Hopkins Retrospective
Initially nervous about presenting, Ellis—co-president of the UHA—said he secretly hoped he wouldn't get enough votes to host the session he'd proposed (in the end, everyone who wanted to present was able to, Harms said). Ellis shared the research he's been doing for his senior thesis, which focuses on the development of three Jesuit institutions of higher education in the mid-Atlantic region from 1962 to 1974. Bypassing the administrative changes that are a typical focal point of such investigations, Ellis is exploring instead how students responded to the period's major secular and religious developments, including the Second Vatican Council, civil rights, and the war in Vietnam.
As Ellis began his presentation, his nerves faded. "It forced me to be comfortable talking about my research," Ellis said, "and having to explain it to other people helps clarify the idea. The free discussion made me think; when I was doing research afterward, I noticed things I wouldn't have noticed before because of questions that people had asked in the session."
Classics PhD student Kathryn Stutz has a few conventional academic conferences under her belt and appreciated that the unconference's more informal environment encouraged participants to freely share leads and connections. Stutz is preparing a dissertation on the uses and abuses of ancient Greek and Roman voyage narratives during the 19th-century age of imperial polar exploration. Engaging with unconference participants during her presentation of her research offered helpful perspective as she finalizes the structure of her dissertation and its chapters, Stutz said.
"It helped me figure out the framing and what to include to make my dissertation as accessible as possible to people, because that's a big goal I have," she said.
Elyjah Bassford chose not to present but found the resources and websites he accumulated during others' sessions so interesting that he's kept their tabs open on his phone. The unconference was eye-opening for the junior history major, who said it made him realize that careers in museums or government are just as viable for historians as academic ones.
"I felt like I was part of a broader community. The camaraderie is very encouraging for people entering this field," Bassford added.
Allison Seyler, Hopkins Retrospective program manager for Special Collections, University Archives, and a member of Bmore Historic's organizing team, wanted students to have the chance to build deep connections with Baltimore. One of the most "magical" things about the unconference, she said, is that attendees are invested in the city in such different ways, which then intersect in conversation.
Image caption: Hopkins senior Hilary Gallito
Image credit: Courtesy of Hopkins Retrospective
"This year in particular the UMBC and JHU students in attendance impressed me with their engagement with a variety of topics," Seyler said. "They were thoughtful participants and asked questions that inspired deeper investigations of how the profession can grow and be better. They also presented on their own research and listened to advice and wisdom from a room full of intergenerational historians and history practitioners, which is a pretty cool experience to have early in their careers."
Presentation topics ranged from disability justice in exhibit curation, to strategies for K-12 history education, to learning to explore the archives of Baltimore's Afro-American newspaper. Lightning talks covered topics including dementia-friendly cultural programming, stained glass in Baltimore, and fossils.
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Tagged history
