I have to admit that “Presentism” isn’t a term I had been familiar with when I received an email from Donna Cox Baker about her upcoming virtual presentation on presentism in genealogy for the Bucks County Genealogical Society. (The title of the talk is Our Founding Fathers Would What? Presentism in Genealogical and Historical Research.) When I clicked for more details I learned that “Presentism is a type of historical bias in which our understanding of the present influences or clouds how we evaluate and interpret the past. Historians take great pains to avoid presentism—and genealogists should be on guard for it also.”
This topic is so intriguing to me when seen through the lens of genealogist. I think this presentation from Donna, who is a history scholar and professor (and friend of this blog!) will be fascinating. It will be held on May 4 from 10 to noon eastern time. Registration opens on April 29.
I’m participating in a neighborhood yard sale on May 4 so won’t be able to attend live but the topic sounds so interesting that I’m tempted to sign up so I can watch the recording. The fee for the program is $5 for members and $10 for non-members. Membership is $20 a year and only members have access to a recording of the program, which is available for 30 days.
To learn a little more about Donna Cox Baker, you can read her How They Do It interview on this blog as well as her guest post on organizing genealogy research with Zotero.
