As far as I can tell, most people who like history become fash. I've loved history from when I was 12, but now I'm not sure if I should. Even if they don't become fascist "entertainers", they become academics too obsessed with the minute details and not about how it meaningfully affects today's world.

Maybe I'm looking into the wrong field for what I'm interested in. Any thoughts?

  • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    So I was a history major in uni, and most of my professors were left-leaning or straight up Marxists. Most of the history books I read are written by Marxists, and the study of history in any sort of actually rigorous fashion often leads me to Marxist conclusions. I wrote my thesis on Firestone's imperialism in Liberia and its intersection with black radicals in the United States and the role it played in radicalizing du Bois into a full blown communist, got to do some serious class analysis, used scary words like "bourgeoisie," and won some award for the best thesis at my school that year. So don't reconsider a history major out of concern for the people involved it in, they're often very sympathetic or outright communists—I have never met a fascist history professor or writer.

    That said, maybe pair a history major with something else because I can 100% assure you you will not be working in academia for history in any stable fashion. Tenured history professor positions are virtually nonexistent, and adjunct life is both terrible and very scarce for history majors. You can definitely do office jobs with a history major (I'm a programmer) but don't assume you'll be able to work in the historical field because it basically doesn't exist anymore.