When he began studying history, he assumed the core work would be in studying and getting to know a breadth of past events and time periods. As Dr. Hysell entered upper level classes for his degree, he began to make the transition from learning about history to the study of historiography, where he delved into the \u2018history of history.\u2019 In historiography, you study the meta level of what historians do, and Dr. Hysell was intrigued by the \u201ccomplexity of the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the transition from studying past events to working on his capstone project and studying historiography, Dr. Hysell learned that \u201cthe past is a malleable thing, and history is constantly being used to serve the present.\u201d One example that has come under fire in recent years has been the treatment of Christopher Columbus in America. During the nineteenth century, Columbus was branded as having \u2018discovered America\u2019 and honored as such by Italian Americans. This incorrect portrayal of Columbus as an American pioneer and hero has lasted until recent years, and has been perpetuated by American education.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe past is a malleable thing, and history is constantly being used to serve the present.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Today, Columbus has fallen from grace in the eyes of America, and rather than a hero he is now presented as a villain who enabled the drive of the American slave trade and suffering of the Native Americans. This debate of heritage, national heroes, and the destruction of cultures begs the question, “whose history, whose past, is being represented?” Columbus would barely have identified himself as ‘Italian’ in a time when such a geographical term didn’t exist, he never actually set foot in North America, and Columbus insisted that the Caribbean was simply a part of Asia. He’s hardly a representation of an Italian explorer, or of someone who discovered the Americas. Now debates are hot about what Columbus represents, and whether he should be honored with a holiday and have statues in places like Syracuse, and especially in a town like Columbus that’s literally named after someone once hailed as a hero.<\/p>\n
This also illustrated another key concept Dr. Hysell learned; there is no unbiased understanding of the past. Whether positive or negative, everyone views events from their own perspective, and part of his training was to observe his own biases. Anyone can take a past event and interpret it in a way that benefits them in their own goals and perspective.<\/p>\n
Another part of his studies was looking at how to take past events and make them relevant to the present. By studying what\u2019s happened in the past, \u201cit can give a better sense of the problems of the world today, making teaching history really valuable.\u201d Looking at the impact of events like the Black Death, a plague that swept across Europe, can help us understand how we today are reacting to our own global pandemic economically, sociologically, and in many other aspects.<\/p>\n
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Do you have any advice for students, especially those in AMRS and history?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cThe first piece that comes to mind: take foreign languages and take them seriously.\u201d For students looking at graduate school, languages from Latin and Greek to modern foreign languages will serve your studies later on.”<\/p>\n
\u201cContinue to think creatively and flexibly of what a liberal arts education can do, and never feel wedded to graduate school or pursuing a direct career.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A liberal arts degree shapes basic life skills; crafting arguments, communicating effectively, writing a good cover letter, and more. \u201cDon\u2019t discount the value of education, but don\u2019t feel constrained by it.\u201d He stressed that a degree in history or medieval studies does not marry you to that field, while it also provides a wonderful opportunity for higher education and studies in it if you choose to continue on.<\/p>\n
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What are your favorite areas to explore in the classroom?<\/strong><\/p>\nOne of Dr. Hysell\u2019s previous courses was on pirates, exploring class dynamics and autonomy. Source:\u00a0\u201cJones, Paul, the Pirate\u201d, National Archives at College Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDr. Hysell\u2019 s area of specialization lies on the border between the medieval and modern\/Renaissance eras. His favorite topics are in social history, especially \u201chow groups of people have interacted over time, ethnic interaction, and cross cultural interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the past, his course on pirates explored how the underprivileged make sense of the world. He also enjoys looking at food history, as food has served as gifts and communication between cultures, ritual practices and uses of food and drink, and exchanges like the Spice Trade.<\/p>\n
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What courses will you be offering this year?<\/strong><\/p>\nHis British History class, Hist 262, will be taking a close look at history through food, and more specifically, the history of cheese in Britain. One of the texts will be A Cheese-Monger\u2019s History of the British Isles<\/em> by Ned Palmer, the history of Britain followed through the development of cheese. It begins with the Neolithic era, looking at shepherds and the goat cheese they produced through keeping livestock, to the Romans, to medieval monks, to market forces of the 14th-16th centuries, to the cheese of the modern period.<\/p>\nCover of \u201cA Cheese-Monger\u2019s History of the British Isles\u201d Palmer, Ned. A Cheesemonger’s History of the British Isles<\/i>. Profile Books Ltd, 2020.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n This study will of course include more hands-on experiences, and hopefully Covid-allowing, will include the tasting of cheeses and spices from these periods. He\u2019ll also be offering Hist 346 on Renaissance Europe, and Hist 111 on Introduction to Medieval Study.<\/p>\n
In the spring semester, he\u2019ll likely be offering the student-favorite Black Death and plagues course, studying the impact of disease on Europe. He knows that Dr. Arnold\u2019s class has left big shoes to fill, but he hopes to deliver something comparable. Some of the topics of discussion will be on how the rapid vanishing of the population had social and economic repercussions, leading to effects like higher demand for labor, higher wages, and improved living conditions, surprising \u201cbenefits for lower strata of society.\u201d The more negative aspects will include the tragedy of such loss of life, including the gruesome aspects, the impact on attitudes towards the church, the effect on medicine, and how it shaped society at large.<\/p>\n
Today, we\u2019ve seen how a seemingly inconsequential animal like a bat in Wuhan, China can impact all of society. The influence animals have had on humans, especially as carriers of diseases like the plagues in Europe, has shaped human history. This raises some intriguing questions; \u201cCan animals have historical agency? What is the relationship between humans and animals, and to what extent are we not as in control as we think we are? How does this relate to our current pandemic?\u201d These are questions that clearly have impacted our society in the last two years with Covid-19, and provide a prime example of how the past is relevant to today.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So if you\u2019re taking one of his history courses this fall, or are in need of a history credit to fulfill your degree requirements and want a fun course — that will include eating cheese– you know Dr. Hysell\u2019 s history courses will be the perfect option for a fun and unique engagement with the past.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We were all sad to see Dr. Ellen Arnold, our previous medieval history professor, leave us this past semester. Despite this loss, students of medieval and renaissance history have plenty to look forward to as Dr. Hysell takes over the position this fall. A former OWU alumni, Dr. Hysell earned his BA in History here… <\/p>\n
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