There are many obstacles that consulting historians contend with as they seek to collaborate on projects. Fee structures, geographic location, limited areas of expertise are a few of the obvious examples of the difficulties that get in the way of forming project alliances. There is, perhaps, a more fundamental problem involved in historians working together that arises out of the way historians are trained.
Whether educated either in traditional graduate history or recently established public history programs, the aspiring masters or doctoral student encounters a curriculum and instruction heavily focused on individual training and skills acquisition. The student’s development of appropriate research, analytical, and writing skills is very much a solitary process. While some public history programs, especially those with historic preservation and Cultural Resources Management (CRM) tracks, offer students the opportunity to learn the value and even necessity of engaging in collaborative work, the main thrust of the march to an MA or PhD degree is the production of an original thesis or dissertation demonstrating that the graduate student has acquired the requisite skills and abilities necessary to become a practicing historian.
While there is no question a historian needs to master the traditional skills of his/her profession, it would be helpful to provide some opportunities during graduate training to experience the potential benefits of collaborative work. Those choosing to enter the field of historical consulting, whether as a sole practitioner or as a member of a firm, need as many tools and skills as possible when they offer their subject matter expertise in the marketplace. The ability to work with other professionals in a team setting may make the difference in getting intellectually satisfying and financially rewarding projects. At the very least, such training would allow the new consulting historian to have the option of considering collaborative work in the future.
Back to introductory post about this Working Group.