Righting the Record: Conservatism and the Archives || Radcliffe Institute | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

To foster trust and understanding, it is crucial to take conservative ideas seriously and engage with them without assuming bad faith or projecting negative intentions onto the other side.

Transcript

• Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to Righting the Record on behalf of the Schlesinger Library and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. I'm Jane Kamensky. I'm the four-timer foundation director of the Schlesinger. And the event this afternoon culminates a really wonderful day of meetings with the panelists who have been extremely gener... Read More

Key Insights

• 👋 Historians should strive to understand and engage with the best arguments of their subjects, rather than looking for weak or sinister motives.
• 🧘 The grassroots vs. elite divide in politics can create tensions and discrepancies between conservative ideologies and the positions articulated by political elites.
• 😉 Politics is about power and winning elections, which can sometimes lead to inconsistencies in politicians' positions and ideologies.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can historians ensure a balanced historical record when collecting the papers of conservative women?

Historians should approach conservative ideas with an open mind and engage with conservative sources to accurately represent their perspectives.

Q: How can conservatives be persuaded to deposit their papers in university archives?

Conservatives should recognize the benefits of leaving a lasting legacy and shaping their own narrative by depositing their papers in public institutions.

Q: How can online materials be collected and preserved for future research?

Archivists should adapt their practices to include online sources and technologies to capture the modern political landscape accurately.

Q: How can society foster trust and understanding between different political ideologies?

It is important to have genuine conversations and seek to understand others' motivations and perspectives without assuming bad faith on either side.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Historians should collect the papers of conservative women to ensure a more complete and balanced historical record.

• Conservatives should deposit their papers in university archives to define their own narrative and be represented in history.

• The internet and social media have transformed politics, making it important to collect online materials to document the modern political landscape.