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Historians/History
9-9-14

These Historians on Twitter Don't Have a Large Following -- But They Should!

by Erik Moshe
Erik Moshe, an Air Force veteran, is a student at Broward College and an HNN intern.
Back in July HNN published an article about the historians who have the most followers on Twitter.  Here we draw attention to the historians who lack larger numbers of followers, but are worth a try.  If you weren't listed, we love you anyways. Follow @MyHNN for more quality history news. 

Rebecca Rideal

@RebeccaRideal

Rebecca is the founder and editor of The History Vault. She is also the curator of an energetic, spirited Twitter feed. It's quite evident that she's a history junkie, and that she's perfectly fine with it! I pledge my allegiance to her historically sound cause.

Caroline

@FlickeringLamps

Caroline's website FlickeringLamps.com has an irresistable motto which was inspired by a quote from Winston Churchill. “History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days.” Her page immediately caught my eye, illuminating my irises with its... historical ambience. It keeps me awake at night.

Kate Morant

@KateMorant

Kate is a medieval and modern historian with a talent for research, and her latest efforts have been aimed at Edmond Halley, an astronomer, mathematician and sea captain from 17th Century England. Kate's blog is a companion to her feed of manuscript logs from Halley’s three voyages, which can be followed 'live' each day @HalleysLog. Please do attend! If your compass is broken, one will be provided for you. Yes, even if it's covered in exotic seaweed and Moby Dick's tooth plaque.

Cathy Hunt

@CathyJHunt

Cathy is a historian and the author of National Federation of the Women Workers 1906-21. Seeing as her Twitter feed is currently a silent spring, alas, she may be a lost Twitterstorian for good. However, there is hope for resurrection if she sees she is featured in this article.

Joyce Pijnenburg

@JoycePijnenburg

After sessions of philosophical consulting at Bureau de Filosoof in Amsterdam, Joyce tweets (sometimes in Dutch, sometimes in English) about religion, mysticism and theology. She holds the firm belief that scholarship of esotericism deserves more attention. "Filosoof" has to be a candidate for one of the greatest words ever, whatever language.

Martha Jones

@marthasjonesUM

Friday I'm at the St. Louis Museum of Art to talk on Kara Walker's film "FallFrumGrace, Miss Pipi’sBlue Tale." http://t.co/vXTuQKs3sa

— Martha S. Jones (@marthasjonesUM) April 28, 2014

Martha Jones is a writer, commentator, researcher and historian who knows important family, love, and equality is in life. Her Twitter feed reinforces these good principles, as it combines race, gender, law, and history into an uplifting mixture of the old and the new.

Paul Dryburgh

@pablodiablo74

Dryburgh is a staff member at United Kingdom's National Archives. He tweets out humorous observations on sports, as well as academia and history news. As of late, photos of spiders have been sighted on his feed. Arachnophobics beware! Eight-legged Twitterstorians, do not. We're all on the web, after all.

Melissa Marsh

@WW2HistoryGal

Melissa is a historical fiction writer and WWII historian whose latest book is entitled Nebraska POW Camps: A History of WWII Prisoners in the Heartland. Her feed is very informative, ranging from her progress writing novels to her family and her health. You can tell she finds joy in the archives of history - I will be on the lookout for her daily World War bulletins (so long as I don't get shot at by artillery).

Kathleen Dalton

@kmd41

Historians need to be reminded about pressing issues pertinent to their jobs, their fields of inquiry, and their lifestyles. Kathleen, a biographer, historian, and author, may be the voice that Twitter needs. She retweets interesting links, informative articles, as well as material related to her book, Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life. Contrary to the subject of her book, her Twitter feed is a pleasurable - not tiresome - activity to engage in.

Cindy Gueli

@historybyte

Dr. Cindy Gueli tweets tons and tons of things I want to click on and read. She is currently putting the finishing touches on her book, Lipstick Brigade: Government Girls in World War II Washington, which is about the unheralded wartime adventures of the quarter of a million young women who flocked to the nation's capital.

Justin Bengry

@JustinBengry

Marc Stein on "#Heterosexuality in #America: Fifty Years and Counting," a special NOTCHES guest post http://t.co/xzxiRppsvU #histsex #LGBT

— Justin Bengry(@JustinBengry) July 22, 2014

Justin is the editor of the Notches blog, which was established in order to get people inside and outside the academy thinking about sex and sexualities in the past and in the present. His page is where political strategy, cunnilingus, and heterosexuality in America meet. You will be prompted to think differently concerning gender, and the way societies function.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat

@ruthbenghiat

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of Italian Studies and History at New York University. Relatively new to Twitter with only 17 tweets (at the time), Ruth is off to a good start, showcasing her own work and other articles about World War I, drones, CNN Opinion pieces, and more.

Tera Hunter

@inllhrprhntr

Tera is Professor of History and African Studies at Princeton University. Americans often go to war with themselves, whether its through disunion, segregation, or other means of division and injustice. Tera is fully aware of human nature's perks, and its downfalls - her Twitter is a balanced medley of political issues, Civil War experiments, tennis, inspirational quotes and her own personal philosophy.

Wouter J. Hannegraaff

@WJHannegraaff

Wouter is Professor of the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. You will be able to tell right away that you've entered an enchanted courtyard of a Twitter page where matters such as metaphysics, Cornelius Agrippa, and mystic manuscripts flourish. Mr. Hannegraaff seems like the type of man who would be great at reciting exerpts from "Alice in Wonderland" outloud or uncovering ancient mysteries with the aid of firelight and gingerbread cookies.

Mason B. Williams

@masonbwilliams

Its one thing to abandon a theory; its another to find a political path out of an unjust practice that provides benefits to pplwith power.

— Mason B. Williams (@masonbwilliams) July 26, 2014

Mason is a historian specializing in urban politics, with degrees from Columbia University and Princeton University. Contrary to his first name, he is not a member of the masonic brotherhood, but he's an institutionally aware, socially conscious New Yorker who writes extensively about "The City That Never Sleeps." Make sure you follow suit, and don't sleep on his efforts in return.

Jonathan Healey

@SocialHistoryOx

Jonathan lectures on English Local and Social History at the University of Oxford. If you're looking for a sharp, witty historian with more than one in the chamber (he's fully loaded), this chap's feed may appeal to you in spades. He recently wrote an article about nine lessons he learned from Twitter, an amusing read. You can find him blogging at "The Social Historian" on Wordpress.

Erik Paulson

@ErikPaulson

Just landed in NY. pic.twitter.com/N3SCaEEuam

— Erik Paulson (@ErikPaulson) June 7, 2014

UFC heavyweight fighter Josh Barnett once described Erik Paulson, a mixed martial arts coach and former Shooto champion himself as "a walking MMA encyclopedia". While he doesn't have a degree in history, his experience in the sport, his far ranging influence on those he has trained, and his knowledge of martial arts qualifies him as one of, if not the premier historian of the rising sport of MMA. Erik is the founder of Combat Submission Wrestling, and the author of “History of American Submission Wrestling".

Samson Kaunga Ndanyi

@kaunga23

Samson is a Ph.D student in the Department of History at Indiana University. He is also an author, stage actor, playwright, and filmmaker whose plays have won top awards in Kenya. He is relatively new to Twitter, but in time, I expect him to become the spokesman of a most interesting page. I'm looking forward to more details about his films in Kenya.

Deborah Schwartz

@DebSchwartzBHS

@DebSchwartzBHS introduces the new historic signs partnership with @BklynBrdgPark #bkwater pic.twitter.com/OtUi4z3qGM

— Brooklyn Historical (@brooklynhistory) May 28, 2014

Deborah is the president of the Brooklyn Historical Society, which was founded in 1863. Like many of the people on this list of underrated historians, she tweets about everything historical, with a concentration on what's happening in Brooklyn, New York.

Nick Witham

@ndwitham

Nick is a cultural and intellectual historian of the twentieth-century United States who uses Twitter in a constructive, positive way, predominantly retweeting posts from others while adding thoughts of his own. Job ads for historians also make an appearance here, so seekers of employment, do have your resumes at the ready & your lexicons at hand.

Jeffrey Herf

@JeffreyHerf

Jeff is a history professor at the University of Maryland who studies the intersection of ideas and politics in modern European history, specializing in twentieth century Germany. A new face on Twitter, Jeff is already making a great impression by posting and retweeting articles with versatile and relevant contexts. His expertise in the above listed areas is likely to produce enlightening views on world affairs. He's a worldly gentleman. He resembles Sean Penn.

Peter Webster

@pj_webster

Trying again to apply the 'do-the-most-difficult-thing-first' rule; that feels much better

— Peter Webster (@pj_webster) July 8, 2014

Peter is a historian based in London and Chichester, with interests in the history of Christianity in twentieth century Britain, particularly the relation of church, law and state, and the religious arts. The "message on the wall" for his page seems to be updating his followers on the work he does, the work that others do, and a healthy diffusion of Christian values. Peter uses Twitter to the fullest.

Hilde de Weerdt

@hild_de

The perspective of a geologist: problem is that history has been commandeered by humanists; think of the planet as an archive too #aasinasia

— Hilde De Weerdt(@hild_de) July 17, 2014

Hilde's feed is a constant stream of thought provoking tidbits on Chinese intellectual, political, social, and economic history, as well as medieval cartography, among many other things. If you are into Asian studies, you may want to get enrolled.

Lauren Johnson

@History_Lauren

What an ace morning - filming 'Walking through History' with Tony Robinson for @Channel4. #giddyhistorian pic.twitter.com/dJFyz6TFfS

— Lauren Johnson (@History_Lauren) July 3, 2014

Lauren's debut novel, The Arrow of Sherwood, combines two of her lifelong loves: history and storytelling. It’s an origin story of Robin Hood, set during the turbulent reign of Richard I. She tweets about medieval marriage, British literature, costumes, articles she's written, and upcoming projects. Even the Sheriff of Nottingham gets his history news from her.

J. Pish Parrison

@JennPish

This is an excellent page. Jennifer is a historian who is on the ball concerning countless sources of news related to the field.

Kate Wiles

@katemond

Kate currently works as the historical language consultant for the History Channel/MGM drama, Vikings, and she is also a recent Ph.D graduate in Old English and Anglo-Saxon manuscripts. Ancient Egypt, Stonehenge, Twitterstorian get-togethers, humorous self deprecation, careful examination of manuscripts - it's all there. She's known for making things that may come off as dull and boring the exact opposite: fun, engaging and accessible.

Chris Naunton

@chrisnaunton

Chris is an Egyptologist and Director of the Egypt Exploration Society, a charity dedicated to exploring ancient Egyptian sites and monuments, and to creating a lasting record of the remains. He hangs out at museums, archaeological sites, and in the shadow of pyramids and bazaars in Cairo. A well-travelled man = the procuration of a cultured Twitter feed. Prepare to be mummified with knowledge! (Or just plain old mummified, if you're into that kind of stuff.)

Peter Frankopan

@peterfrankopan

Peter tweets about Aristotle, developments within banking, opera, Arabic erotology, and Soviet versions of history. Name it; he's made it a frame of reference before. As a historian at Oxford University, he works on the Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Russia, and on relations between Christianity and Islam.

Tim Whitmarsh

@twhittermarsh

Mr. Whitmarsh mish mashes wit. Say that 5 times as fast as you can. Well, it's true! Tim is a classicist and Professor of Ancient Literatures at Oxford University who tweets steadfastly about his expeditions, his lectures, ancient atheism, and British worker strikes.

Ian D. Morris

@iandavidmorris

Ian is a researcher in early Islamic history. Arab conquests, messages from his colleagues, medievalism, and the origin of Middleastern religions are just a few of the themes discussed here. There are literally too many interesting posts to name. I'd recommend checking him out.

David Whisnant

@AVLJunction

David is a cultural historian who focuses on Asheville, North Carolina, and how his family originated from there. I've heard of Nashville, but not Asheville, and if there are any starving historians out there, then you're probably curious about a city called 'Cashville.' Zing!

Irna Qureshi

@irnaqureshi

Irna Qureshi is an ethnographer, writer, and oral historian specialising in British Asian arts, culture, and identity. Her adventures in cooking and world cuisine are splayed against a backdrop of literature and poetry. This may be a risky statement, but her love of chocolate may rival her love of history! (Awaiting backlash from vanilla revolutionaries in 3... 2... 1...)

Samir Meghelli

@SamirMeghelli

Dr. Meghelli is a professor of African American Studies and French at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His page displays a pharaoh's hoard of American related news headlines, secret historical documents and unique perspective attained through hip hop music.

Willy Knight

@Willy_Knight

Something's fishy here... oh, that's because Willy "thinks out loud, quietly, about history, nature, and fish." Blended together, these elements of his lifestyle are insightful and valuable, especially if you're conscious about regulation and governance over our planet's oceans. For an additional fishery historian, be sure to check out Abdallah Mkumbukwa as well, @amkumbukwa.

Dr. Anirban Ganguly

@anirbanganguly

Anirban is a scholar of Indian civilization and director of the Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation. He tweets about his columns, other Indian historians, Hindu history, analysis of current events, and more.

Tracy Borman

@BormanTracy

Last year, Tracy was appointed as joint Chief Curator (with Lucy Worsley) for Historical Royal Palaces, the charity that manages Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and the Banqueting House, and Whitehall. Be on the lookout for her refreshing posts on castles, kings, queens and the like!

Sime Sparica

@celeres84

Sime is a graduate student of prehistoric archaeology from Zagreb. He runs his own online paper called "The Celeres Daily" which he tweets about often. Actually, that's all he tweets about, but he's still awesome.

Other mentions go to:

  • Mills Kelly @EdwiredMills 
  • Bradley Borougerdi @BradleyJ34
  • Benjamin Carp @bencarp 
  • Kristina Richardson @krisrich
  • Chris Millington @DrChris82
  • Dominic Selwood @DominicSelwood
  • Evan Smith @Hatfulofhistory
  • Caroline Sharples @carol1ne_louise
  • Reza Pankhurst @rezapankhurst
  • Asia Leeds @AsiaLeeds