Made By History: Professor Brownell to helm TIME’s new history column
New partnership will provide TIME’s readers with historical analysis of U.S. current events
Purdue’s Dr. Kathryn Cramer Brownell, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), has been named senior editor for TIME’s recently acquired Made By History. A leading history column producing rigorous historical analysis of U.S. current events and public debates, Made By History offers an easily digestible format designed for the general public. TIME shared in a recent press release that “Made by History will go behind the headlines of today’s news to provide context and clarity through carefully researched and edited articles written by a diverse group of today’s most prominent and promising scholars.”
“A historian's perspective always adds a crucial level of depth to any news story—after all, you can't truly understand what's happening today without knowing how we got here,” said TIME’s managing editor and founding editor of TIME’s history section, Lily Rothman.
Dr. Brownell sat down recently to discuss Made By History, the political history of 90s pop culture, and her new book, 24/7 Politics: Cable Television and the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News.
Question: TIME has partnered with the column, Made By History. History is a broad topic and much of your public work has been on media and politics in the modern day. Is that what you’ll be writing about?
Dr. Brownell: As an editor for Made By History with TIME, I will be working with other historians to bring their expertise to the broader public. This will cover a range of issues from education, to public policy, to cultural issues, and, of course, the 2024 presidential election as it unfolds over the next year. Our goal with this column is to produce cutting edge historical research that has the rigor of peer review but the speed of a top national media outlet in order to respond to events as they unfold—some that we know are coming, but also ones that we don't have on our radar. So, for me personally, I look forward to contributing as an expert in the history of media and politics as well as working with a range of my colleagues in the field as an editor.
Question: The Washington Post column of the same name sought to provide historical context to current events. Does this mission remain intact in its move to TIME?
Dr. Brownell: Our mission remains the same: to provide rigorous historical scholarship to help people better understand current events and public debates. TIME has long been a top-notch place for offering historical analysis so this partnership offers an incredible opportunity to expand our reach and connect to new audiences. It is also very exciting that TIME has lifted their paywall, which allows people to have broader access to Made By History pieces, as well. So, we hope that these articles will regularly be read, shared, and integrated into classrooms.
Question: When writing or editing historical analyses and perspectives, who are you writing to? What are you hoping they take away from the message?
Dr. Brownell: Some of our readers are already drawn to history and are eager to hear new stories about the past. Many readers, however, just want to make sense of the world around them, and our goal at MBH is to show them why historical context and historical thinking are essential to navigating the present. Our pieces certainly provide the backstory to current events, but also advance arguments about root causes and contours, explaining how and why certain developments unfolded the way they did. And so, our pieces put on display how historians think and work: evaluating different sources, analyzing a range of perspectives, making sense of conflicting accounts, understanding power dynamics and structural inequality, and thinking through both change and continuity.
Question: Apart from learning from the successes and mistakes of the past, why do you study history?
Dr. Brownell: I have long been drawn to modern American history because it helps me better understand the world around me. I’m also drawn to history because it teaches you that individuals and the choices they make matter. Taking action (or not) on certain issues and during key moments can bring about change, for good or for ill. I firmly believe that understanding history can provide the inspiration, knowledge, and tools for people to bring about the change they want to see in the world.
Question: What's your current historical fascination? What's got your attention?
Dr. Brownell: Right now, I'm really fascinated by the 1990s. I know I'm not alone as I look at current fashion trends and the popular culture my students are consuming. But, I'm looking at it as a scholar, and I'm interested in what unfolds as scandal overtakes media and politics and, in particular, the changes in party politics begot by this world of 24/7 news (that I chart in my recent book).
Question: As you said, the current generation—your students—are equally obsessed with the pop culture of the 90s. So, in the classroom (and in the column), how would you leverage the widespread resurgence of 90s pop culture to learn more about how media and politics have affected today's political environment?
Dr. Brownell: Popular interest in the 1990s is an opportunity to reach students where they are, with what they're interested in, and use that as a way to teach them how to think analytically about these topics to think more in-depth about changes in media, business, politics and culture that happened at the end of the twentieth century. This is something I think we do with our column, as well. We use public interest in current events to bring readers to history and invite them to think historically and consider different perspectives.
Question: Your new book, 24/7 Politics: Cable Television and the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News, was recently published by Princeton University Press. How does this column complement your ongoing research projects?
Dr. Brownell: It's not a coincidence that Made By History was started in 2017 by three historians who study media and politics: Nicole Hemmer (Vanderbilt University), Brian Rosenwald (University of Pennsylvania), and myself. As scholars, we understand that it matters who is shaping media narratives. That's why politicians spend so much time and money to shape their image and message. In recent years, public conversations about history have increasingly been weaponized by partisans and those with an ideological agenda. Not only does this create false and inaccurate historical narratives, but it also does a disservice to the profession and what history actually can illuminate. So, our goal is to provide a platform for historians to shape public conversations around history using the best research and the tools of our profession to understand and address today’s most urgent challenges.
Read Dr. Brownell's lastest Made By History article: Long Before the GOP Debate, Cable News Was About Power.
Read the latest from Made By History on TIME here.
Historians: To pitch ideas to Made by History, email madebyhistory@time.com.
Made by History accepts both full drafts (approx. 1,000 words) and short pitches.