Blogging Current Affairs History

Abstract

The internet poses acute challenges to historians. Blogging and other forms of internet communication have outstripped the reach of more conventional forms of academic publications. They also provide new types of sources that would otherwise be impossible for historians to access, not least in areas of conflict. These new forms of communication must be embraced by contemporary historians as they seek to speak truth to power. They allow contemporary historians to engage with public and political debate in critical new ways. Blogging will not replace the monograph or the peer-reviewed journal article, nor will it replace archival research. In affecting public debates and political outcomes, and in obtaining new sources, blogging is a form of communication contemporary historians ignore at their peril.