Hi!   I’m Audra Diptée.

I’m a professional historian and educator.  If you would like to learn more about my work as a historian, you can check out my website here.

This is a blog for historians (and the historically minded!) who, like myself, are thoroughly frustrated by the ways in which history is “used and abused” in public discourse and policy making.

I’ve set a modest goal for myself.  It is to simply reflect on strategies that might make historical work more effective. I am making no claims to having the silver bullet, but I am certain that what historians are doing currently is not working – or at least it is not working very well …

So, what does usable history look like?  Well that’s part of the problem … There is neither a consensus about what makes history “usable” nor a methodology to guide us as we write and teach history.

If you’re interested in straying from the traditional, efforts to think outside the box, and strategies that push the boundaries of the historical discipline then consider joining discussions on Usable History.

I hope to see you there!