MacNeill who was the former vice president and head of the American Historical Association. I’m an historical historian for Martin Luther – whose 500 anniversary will be celebrated this year. The study of historical research helps to codify the stories.
What could be the reason that gender is relevant to writing about theologians, or a sixteenth century reformer, like Luther is what you’re probably thinking? However, it is. When we research history it helps us understand how we came to where we are today, and why we act as we do. The three photos of Luther illustrate different periods that he went through in his lifetime. It’s the study we do of ourselves as humans and of our position in an ever-changing world. The first picture shows Luther as we might recall him best, Luther the rebellious teenager with a clean shave and a tonsure as one would expect from an Augustinian monk (he had a very large tonsure, which he later had to have badly changed) . Without it, we’d never know the full extent of our achievements as well as our failures, and we could continue to repeat our mistakes without moving forward towards something more positive.
On the right side, we can see Luther as "Junker Joerg", the mask used by him when he was concealed in Wartburg to protect his life following the time his arrest as an outlaw and a heretic during the Diet of Worms. The Spanish philosopher George Santayana once said, "Those who do not remember the past are bound to repeat that past." What Luther did then was increase his hair growth: out, with the tonsure along with moustache and beard. How can past events aid us comprehend the future? This was the highest form of manhood, the most obvious proof that Luther was no longer an ordinary man. The past has created the present. And then is the style that Luther ultimately adopted: that of a professor who was clean-shaven, and dressed like an honorable burgher. Our present-day world is the result of events that took place way prior to our own time.
He was also with hair but not excessively. Only by understanding the circumstances can we determine what brought us here and where we need to follow next. He was no longer a priest in celibacy, Luther is a father. 1. The Reformation led to changes in the way religion was practiced. Change is a process that can be understood through history. It also led to changes in what was to be a male.
There are many changes in history which have altered the course of the story of the world. Gender has the power to alter our perception of something such as the Reformation. If you are able to build your understanding of the past, you learn more about the foundations of our society today. I’m trying to make clear to you today this morning that the study of gender is crucial to our thinking on the future for our societies, and that Oxford has a responsibility and obligation to promote the growth of its studies.
The study of The American civil rights movements will show how individuals organize effectively against oppressive structures. The rise of women’s rights and gender-related history has been accompanied by the appearance of women in posts of economic and political authority. Studying the decline of Rome can teach one that the most powerful societies is susceptible to collapse. Think of your mother, and the life she had in mind for her. And what happens to cause it to crumble. Think about your daughters.
When you learn about different times and their corresponding events it is possible to envision what kind of changes could occur in the future , and what could trigger that change. The difference in their expectations will tell you everything. 2. It is a testament to the importance of history and how in the span of only three generations may be changed. Learn from mistakes made in the past.
The story of women’s rights in America started, in a way it was at Oxford at the time the first women’s freedom conference occurred at Ruskin in the year 1970. The study of the past gives us a better knowledge of how the world works and how it functions. This was the time and as a result from this discussion, Sheila Rowbotham wrote her Hidden from History. 3000 years of Women’s Oppression , which was published in 1973.
If you study conflict, you are able to learn more about the process of escalating conflict. The book resulted from her experience studying for an undergraduate degree in history at Oxford and her disappointment that women were not mentioned. You will learn about the dilemmas that leaders around the world have to face, and how they react, and whether their choices result in better or worse results. Thus, Oxford has a unique place in the history of writing about gender and women’s histories. A study of historical data reveals the warning signs for all kinds of catastrophes, ranging from genocide, to climate inaction. While I was an undergraduate, I could not apply at any of the three Oxford colleges in which I’ve worked since.
Recognizing these patterns can enable you to be a better informed citizen and allow you to be more effective in your actions. I could not have applied man for these colleges as an undergraduate either. 3. It was the first time in which Rhodes scholarships were accessible to women. We get a sense of the human experience.
When I was an Associate Research Fellow in Merton in 1983 I was the only female in the senior Common Room. In the years prior to 2020, many Americans didn’t have an outbreak that was global. This is a thing of the past.
The 1918-1919 flu pandemic disappeared from the public picture of American history, largely obscuring World War I on its conclusion and by the Roaring 20s which were to follow. I’m sure that most of you will think that having a more gender-balanced workforce, which includes both genders greatly impacted our lives as workers in a positive way. In the months following COVID-19 becoming known to the public historians and educated people began writing on the pandemic of flu again. There aren’t just women who are benefiting from opening up top posts to them, it’s also men. The stories of the deadly second flu season were shared to warn people about travel dangers and images of ancestral relatives wearing masks came back into the spotlight. Now we are in an important historical point.
Through studying historical events, it is possible to are able to understand the circumstances of our lives better. Women who were the first students to attend the male universities of Oxford or Cambridge are currently in their fifties and are at the top of their careers. We recognize patterns as they emerge and find comfort in the knowledge that other people had similar experiences. And next year, it will be one hundred years since women gained the vote. How do we study history? It is the perfect time to reflect about what these developments are about. There are a variety of ways to studying and teaching about the history of our time.
It is a beneficial way of opening these kinds of questions.