Fields of Controversy: Historical Perspectives on Building and Preserving Women's and Gender History in Hostile and Retrograde Times

Historians, educators, public historians, and archivists currently find themselves in the crosshairs of right-wing culture warriors. Ideological extremists seem intent on discrediting and disappearing the scholarly and curricular innovations produced by generations of scholars, record keepers, and educators over the course of the twentieth century. Especially aggressive attacks on histories of people of color, women, and gender are underway. History educators in public k-12, public higher education, and public history are under particularly intense scrutiny by “anti-woke” politicians, and the foes of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The focus will be on American women’s & gender history and African American women’s history.

The session will then open into a roundtable format in which panelists from the fields of public history, women’s history, and African American history discuss questions with the audience.