Always Read the Footnotes

I love footnotes. Endnotes are okay too. But I especially love footnotes. Few things make me happier than dropping to the bottom of the page to relish in all the wonders of historiography…seeking out the really long discursive footnotes that reveal the foundation upon which a particular work rests. I encourage you to take the time to read the footnotes. You might find it tedious or maybe even unnecessary. But I implore you to reconsider and think of the effort more as a worthwhile and pleasurable zoom out to a field bigger than the study before you.

Students should know historiography, or at least know what it is. Nobody at my high school (go San Marcos Royals!) bothered looping me in, and my professors at UCLA only brushed up against it, but this is the hill I will die on: grappling with historiography teaches students that history is a dynamic discipline, and that historians (if they are being intellectually honest) are contributing to a conversation across time - one resting upon the free exchange of ideas.

And…I think it is a perfectly reasonable activity to hold historians accountable. Check their sources, see what ideas they are engaging…you’ll understand, with a little effort, how the writing of history is an intellectual exercise.

As a side note and a word of warning: be cautious of authors who claim to be “debunking” or “destroying” an argument (cue eye roll…Lord almighty). There is little use for this sort of thing in intellectual discourse. Honestly - it’s boring, it gets us nowhere, and is better suited for social media sock puppets and self-righteous twits.

So - off you go then! Enjoy those footnotes and even more important…enjoy the process. That’s where we really dig in :)

With compliments,

Keith