In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Professor John Bonnett of Brock University about history’s future. They talk about the animal turn, ascribing sentience to all living things, and the challenges this presents to the humanities. They also talk about how this challenges traditional historical methods, how historians can incorporate this into their work, and how students respond to these changing approaches. They finish the show by talking about big data and VR’s influence on history, how this will change the historical profession, and the difference between micro and macro histories. As an added bonus, they also answer the age-old question of why Harold Innis is so hard to read.

https://media.blubrry.com/activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/History-Slam-116-John-Bonnett.mp3