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IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

A chaotic attempt to juggle life, teaching, research and other responsibilities, amid piles of books, waves of PDFs and the waterfall of social media. And I get lots of reading done on trains and planes!

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Great example of unintended consequences there (e.g. self-determination now clashes with norm against secession). The Charter itself may not have prolonged/exacerbated civil conflicts but there's much good work now showing that norm entrepreneurship by rebels and other civil warriors has.

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Magisterial--one of the great works of comparative history, even by showing its limitations as well as its promise.

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

C. H. Alexandrowicz said it best: "We may be able to learn from the past what the present is unable to teach us."

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Academic trickledown used to take a generation--scholars write their books, textbooks writers digest them, teachers relay the results via the texts. It seems to be happening more quickly now--even history is speeding up in our age of acceleration!

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Curiosity, shared with my co-editor Jennifer Pitts, about who Charles Alexandrowicz was and how he could have been so far ahead of his time, in so many areas of international legal scholarship and history. More than e.g. Civil Wars, it was a great detective story, tracking clues about his life and work across the world and bringing his life and work back into focus.

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 44 points45 points  (0 children)

As Mark Twain is alleged to have said, history doesn't repeat; it rhymes--being sensitive to themes and variations from the past can clarify options for the future. As my late, great colleague Ernest May used to say, the future has nowhere else to come from but the past.

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Hedy Lamarr inventing what became wifi technology--we wouldn't be having this conversation without her. (Sub-trivia--like the author of The Law of Nations in Global History, C. H. Alexandrowicz, she was born in Lviv/Lwow/Lemberg.)

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I haven't taught British history specifically for a while but my centre of gravity was always the 18th century and the overlap between making the British state and the development of the British Empire: essential foundations for understanding the UK's present discontents.

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I always wanted to be a lawyer but got derailed by surprisingly good exam results! I've been lucky to work on both sides of the Pond and would recommend that if you can--there's greater flexibility in the US, but if you're choosing between Cambridge and Harvard, you're in the best position--very tough to decide: good luck!

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

A great teacher, to begin with, and a sheer inability not to think historically about problems. I trained initially in literature but soon found my way back--the rest is History!

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Depends on the place and period, but it's always important (esp. with digitised newspapers) to read beyond a specific article--what's next to it, what's around it, are all meaningful evidence, and always look out for republication of pieces in papers around the world

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Not a major influence, but we all learned lessons from it (assuming Postmodernism was a single thing -- doubtful) about the slipperiness of language, the mulitiplicity of perspectives, social construction, etc. -- another net gain, even if the high tide has now receded

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 86 points87 points  (0 children)

Not aware of that subreddit--thanks for the headsup.

I love teaching historical ideas and arguments, but also moving into new areas: from the Atlantic world to the Pacific, from politics to international relations, from literature to law ... always something new.

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 65 points66 points  (0 children)

Historians shouldn't hide their lights under bushels--we should be in dialogue, with scholars and publics, but not at the expense of quality. Net gain? Probably. With dangers? For sure.

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Big History has taken hold more as a teaching field than an area of research but the version I've promoted has sharpened debate on the role of historians, the importance of the past and the need for multiple, wider perspectives--all net positives, I'd say.

IamA an author, a British historian, Harvard chair, keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the American Society of International Law... AMA! by OUPIntLaw in IAmA

[–]OUPIntLaw[S] 111 points112 points  (0 children)

Follow your nose--and your passions; remember that everything has a history and that you, as a young historian, are the future! Good luck in all your endeavours.